Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs breaks silence, after sex-trafficking raids on LA, Miami estates
Rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has broken his silence amid a sex trafficking probe after his mansions were raided and his private jet was intercepted.
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Billionaire rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has blasted the “military-level force” used against him in raids on his estates, claiming he is the victim of a “witch hunt”.
The star broke his silence via his lawyer after federal agents raided his multi-million-dollar properties in Florida and California in connection with sex trafficking allegations.
“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr Combs’ residences,” lawyer Aaron Dyer said.
“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Mr Dyer said.
“Mr Combs was never detained but spoke to and co-operated with authorities.
“Despite media speculation, neither Mr Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.”
Earlier, rapper Combs, also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy, was spotted looking tense as he paced bank and forth by himself outside the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport after the raids, TMZ reports.
It is unclear if the 54-year-old rapper was the target of the investigation, which saw officers haul boxes and laptops from multiple properties across the US.
According to TMZ, the Bad Boy records boss was allegedly on a private jet when Homeland Security arrived at the airport and stopped him from taking off.
A different private jet belonging to the star — the rapper’s black Gulfstream 5, known as LoveAir LLC — is believed to have flown from Los Angeles to Antigua in the Caribbean but it is not known who was on the plane, TMZ reports.
A man accused of being Combs’ “drug mule” was arrested trying to board a plane at the same time the rapper’s Miami mansion was being raided, the New York Post reports.
Brendan Paul, 25, was arrested by Miami-Dade Police at the Opa-Locka Airport about 4.30pm on Monday, local time.
In Manhattan, three women and a man were interviewed by police over allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms, NBC News reported.
In dramatic scenes at father-of-five Combs’ Los Angeles mansion in the ritzy area of Holmby Hills, his sons Justin and King Combs were put in handcuffs by police.
TMZ reported that the 30-year-old and 25-year-old were detained then released without charge.
The brothers returned to the mansion separately after being released but both then left again after collecting belongings, TMZ reports.
The raids come amid at least four lawsuits recently filed against Combs, including allegations of assault and human trafficking, all of which he has denied, the New York Post reports.
The Duke of Sussex was named in one of the lawsuits, which claimed that Sean Combs is a sexual abuser of men and women, according to the Daily Mail.
Record producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones’ filed the lawsuit against Combs and claimed that his “affiliation” to Prince Harry and other celebrities and other stars gave him and his associates “legitimacy”.
Lil Rod’s lawyers claim guests attended Combs’ alleged sex-trafficking parties because of his “access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry”, court documents filed in New York said.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Prince Harry in court documents filed in the US last month.
Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, an R&B singer known as Cassie, who he dated from 2005 to 2018, accused him last year of years of sexual abuse but the two quickly reached a settlement.
In December, a woman accused Combs of sexual assault, alleging he and others gang-raped her when she was 17.
A lawsuit said Combs and other men plied her with drugs and alcohol before violently raping her repeatedly.
It is unclear if the investigation is related to any of those accusers.
DRAMATIC FOOTAGE SHOWS AGENTS RAIDING DIDDY’S MANSIONS
Footage showed heavily armed agents from the Department of Homeland Security raiding Combs’ mansion in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood as well as his Miami home on Monday, local time.
“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners. We will provide further information as it becomes available,” the federal department said in a released statement.
Famed for his lavish lifestyle and parties, Harlem-born Combs founded the Bad Boy record label in 1993, and was a major figure in hip-hop’s commercialisation over the course of the decades that followed.
His proteges included the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.
He is among the industry’s billionaires, not least due to his ventures in the liquor industry.
TV footage showed federal agents at Combs’ LA mansion.
According to Fox 11, the LA home is registered to Bad Boys Films, a division of Bad Boy Entertainment, and one of Combs’ daughters.
Homeland Security expert Hal Kempfer told Fox 11 authorities would be looking for evidence on laptops, flash drives, and anything that would connect Combs to the allegations.
Mr Kempfer added getting a search warrant of this type would take time and would require the co-operation of both state and local attorneys.
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