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Journalism of Courage
A New York Federal judge on Tuesday (September 17) ordered rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs to remain in jail after the latter pleaded not guilty on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs had been arrested by federal agents on Monday (September 16) evening, following a grand jury indictment. If convicted on all three counts, he faces a sentence of 15 years upto life in prison.
Combs’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo on Monday called the indictment an unjust prosecution, saying, “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
Who is Sean Combs and what are the allegations made against him?
Sean Combs is a music mogul who dominated the hip-hop scene in the 1990s and 2000s. He is credited with launching musicians like The Notorious B.I.G., Usher and Mary J Blige through his record label, Bad Boy Records.
Born in 1969 and raised in Harlem, New York, Combs attended Catholic school. The rapper was reportedly nicknamed “Puff” as a child as he would “huff and puff” while throwing a tantrum.
He enrolled in a business major at Howard University, dropping out only a year in. He got his big break as a 22-year-old radio intern, co-hosting a celebrity basketball game with the rapper Heavy D. This paved the way for further collaborations with Heavy D, Mary J Blige and ultimately The Notorious B.I.G.
Combs’s first single, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” was released in the aftermath of B.I.G’s killing and stayed at Number 1 for six weeks, raising anticipation for the associated album. Titled “No Way Out,” it debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned him Grammy wins for ‘Best Rap Album’ and ‘Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group’.
As rapper and producer, he has used the stage names Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy over the decades and collaborated with artists like Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Lil Kim, Pharrell and The Weeknd to chart-topping success.
Combs also ventured into other businesses like fashion, vodka and television to amass a portfolio valued by Forbes at $1 billion in 2022.
A history of violence (1990s): Sean Combs had several run-ins with the law over the years.
In April 1999, Combs was charged with assault and faced up to seven years of jail time for beating up music producer Steven Stoute. Following a public apology, Stoute urged the Manhattan District Attorney to drop the charges against Combs.
Later that year, an altercation in a nightclub involving Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez devolved quickly into gun violence. Combs was found not guilty on charges of gun possession and bribery. But his protege, Jamal “Shyne” Barrow was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault, gun possession and reckless endangerment. Barrow, now the Leader of Opposition in Belize, alleged in April 2024 that he was the “fall guy,” taking the blame to keep Combs out of jail.
Cassie’s lawsuit (November 2023): While multiple women had anonymously accused Combs of sexual assault and coercion previously, he was able to settle these cases outside court. All that changed when his ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, sued him in November 2023.
Cassie’s lawsuit alleged among other things, rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking, sexual battery and human trafficking. Having met him as a 19-year-old in 2005, she alleged that he exerted complete control over her life and decisions for the next decade. Combs allegedly resorted to multiple intimidation tactics, even blowing up the car of the man she dated while the two were on a break.
Combs denied all the allegations, and settled the lawsuit with her out of court the very next day.
In May 2024, CNN released a graphic hotel surveillance video from 2016 which showed Combs stopping Cassie from leaving the premises, physically overpowering and even kicking her. A day later, Combs offered a public apology for the video.
More women come out (2023-24): Following Cassie’s testimony, two more women stepped forward in November 2023 to accuse Combs of rape. Joi Dickenson-Neal accused Combs of assaulting him and filming the encounter. The second unnamed survivor was reportedly 17 at the time of her encounter.
In May 2024, April Lampros accused Combs of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions for about a decade from 1995, and coercing her to take drugs.
On September 11, 2024, singer Dawn Richard accused Combs for inflicting physical and psychological abuse for years as he helped launch her career.
Lil Rod accuses him of sexual misconduct (February 2024): Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a Chicago record producer filed a federal complaint worth in February 2024, accusing Combs and his team of trying to coerce Jones into sexual relations with a man. Jones, who worked on Combs’s 2022 album, also alleged that Combs and his team were involved in an illegal racketeering enterprise.
Federal house raids (March 2024): Federal investigators from Homeland Security raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in connection with an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
(With inputs from the New York Times)
