Findings from the indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs for sex trafficking and organized crime

The federal grand jury accused Combs and his accomplices of engaging in a “persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse of women and other persons” for at least 16 years, the indictment said.

Combs has denied any wrongdoing. “He is an imperfect human being, but he is not a criminal,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement Monday. He added that his client had been “cooperative throughout” and was looking forward to “clearing his name in court.”

Here are the key points of the indictment.

The accusation

The grand jury indicted Combs on three counts: racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

The indictment alleges that Combs ran a criminal organization (referred to in the court filing as “Combs Enterprise” or “Enterprise”) that consisted of members of Bad Boy Entertainment — the record label he founded in 1993 — Combs Enterprises and Combs Global.

On the surface, these companies worked to expand Combs' media, entertainment and lifestyle operations. But according to the indictment, they also committed a range of crimes at Combs' behest, including forced labor, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, arson, kidnapping and obstruction of justice.

There is also a separate sex trafficking charge related to an unnamed victim who Combs is believed to have abused from approximately 2009 through 2018.

The grand jury also accused Combs of repeatedly transporting female victims and sex workers across state and national lines “with the intent of soliciting them into prostitution.”

“The way he ran this business is textbook,” said Shea Rhodes, director of the Institute to Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation at Villanova University. “We're talking about controlled prostitution and building it into a well-financed enterprise.”

Others in the indictment

The grand jury indictment alleges that other individuals, not named in the document, also facilitated and covered up Combs' crimes, including executives at his various companies, as well as his employees, house and security staff, and personal assistants.

According to the indictment, these accomplices helped Combs manipulate women into participating in “highly orchestrated performances of sexual acts” known as “freak offs.” These “freak offs” were the setting for various illegal activities, according to the grand jury indictment.

Combs and his accomplices exerted pressure on their victims by controlling their careers, exploiting their financial support, using intimidation and violence, and monitoring their whereabouts, the indictment says.

The alleged “freak-offs”

Allegations of illegal sex parties have been public since a former artist and partner of Combs first accused him of organizing them in 2023. The indictment provides further details about these alleged orgies, for which Combs' associates are accused of transporting “commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally.”

Combs and his accomplices allegedly booked hotel rooms for these meetings and stocked them in advance with narcotics, lubricants, extra bedding and lighting to record these acts. The controlled substances distributed at these freak-offs included cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine and oxycodone, according to the indictment.

During these incidents, Combs allegedly “punched, kicked, threw objects at victims, and sometimes dragged them by their hair,” causing injuries that took weeks to heal, according to the indictment. He is accused of coercing victims by threatening to withhold financial support and ruin their careers. He also allegedly recorded these acts and used “the sensitive, embarrassing and incriminating recordings” to silence the victims, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that Combs' associates cleaned hotel rooms after the sex parties to cover up damage, arranged for victims' travel, gave Combs large sums of money to pay sex workers, and arranged for IV fluids to be administered to help victims recover from the intense drug use and physical exertion.

The victims

Two of the charges – extortion and prostitution – suggest that multiple victims were involved, although no names are mentioned.

The only sex trafficking charge involves a specific victim (referred to as “Victim 1”), who is also not named. However, the timeline appears to match allegations made by Combs' former artist and partner Casandra Ventura, who performs under the stage name Cassie. Ventura accused Combs in a lawsuit filed on November 16 of physical and sexual abuse, coercion and sex trafficking throughout the duration of their relationship, which began in 2007 and ended in 2018.

Ventura and Combs reached a settlement the day after the lawsuit was filed. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Ventura, through her attorney Douglas Wigdor, had no comment on Combs' arrest.

Combs' cases

The charges come nearly a year after the first of 10 sexual assault lawsuits was filed against Combs. The allegations span his more than 30-year career as a musician and producer. The lawsuits included accusations of sex trafficking, physical abuse and sexual assault.

Ventura filed the first lawsuit, claiming that Combs was abusive and violent in their relationship and engaged in sex trafficking. The lawsuit detailed an incident at a Los Angeles hotel where Combs allegedly assaulted her.

Combs denied Ventura's allegations until hotel footage of Combs' 2016 beating of Ventura was leaked to CNN in May. Two days later, he apologized on his Instagram account, saying his behavior was “inexcusable.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions in this video,” Combs said.

In the months that followed, a series of similar lawsuits were filed against Combs. In March, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami. The agency did not disclose the nature of the investigation at the time, but law enforcement officials told The Washington Post and other media outlets that the raid was related to a sex trafficking investigation.

Weapons and baby oil seized during house searches

The indictment detailed what the Department of Homeland Security seized during its raids on Combs' properties in Miami and Los Angeles in March.

According to the indictment, federal agents found several firearms during their raids, including three AR-15s with obscured serial numbers, a drum magazine and ammunition.

The indictment states that federal agents found “narcotics and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant” linked to Combs' “outbursts.”

Possible sentences

The charge of conspiracy to commit organized crime carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while the charge of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The charge of abduction for the purpose of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.

“If he is convicted, he will most likely spend a long time in prison,” said Camron Dowlatshahi, an entertainment lawyer.

What happens next?

The government is seeking to detain Combs because he is allegedly a danger to society and a potential escape risk, according to a motion for detention filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors asked the judge to deny Combs bail.

Combs “poses a persistent and significant danger to the community, has repeatedly engaged in obstructive behavior, and poses a serious flight risk,” the lawsuit states.

According to a letter submitted to the court, Combs' lawyers requested his release on $50 million bail and house arrest under GPS supervision.

Dowlatshahi, the entertainment lawyer, said defense attorneys will likely try to delay the case as much as possible. He said it is unlikely Combs will go to trial before the end of 2025.

Shayna Jacobs contributed to this report.