Diddy’s Lawyer Reacts to Raid on US Rapper’s Houses

Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday said raids carried out by federal agents on the rap mogul’s US homes were an “unprecedented ambush” and part of “a witch hunt based on meritless accusations.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer said Tuesday that the searches of the rapper’s Los Angeles and Miami properties by federal authorities in a sex trafficking investigation were ”a gross use of military-level force” and that Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name.

It’s the first public statement from the music mogul’s team since Monday’s raids of his homes by Homeland Security Investigations agents.

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr Combs’ residences,” lawyer Aaron Dyer said in a statement to US media.

“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” said Dyer.

Authorities have not said why the raids were carried out.

But Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterise him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims.

He has faced at least four lawsuits from people who say he sexually abused them, with allegations dating back decades.

Last year Combs was sued by former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who performed under the stage name Cassie and was signed to his Bad Boy label.

The suit alleged he had forced her to perform sexual acts with multiple men over a number of years in cities across the United States.

That suit was settled, but was followed by others, including one in December by a woman who accused Combs of sexual assault, alleging he and others gang-raped her when she was 17.

Combs, who has not been criminally convicted, denies all the allegations.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name,” said Dyer on Tuesday.

The attorney said there was “no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities,” and said neither Combs nor any of his family members were arrested.

A law enforcement source told AFP that Combs — known also as Diddy or Puff Daddy — had been in Miami on Monday and had been spoken to by agents, but confirmed he had not been arrested.

Aerial images taken Monday had appeared to show the rapper’s sons Justin and King Combs in handcuffs at his Los Angeles property.

New images published by celebrity website TMZ on Tuesday appeared to show computers and other electronic equipment had been ripped out from Combs’ Los Angeles home.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday it emerged that a luxury private jet belonging to Combs landed in the Caribbean island of Antigua hours after his US homes were raided.

Combs was not aboard the Gulfstream V, US media said Tuesday as they published photos of the aircraft in the tropical hideaway.

Flight tracking data showed the plane — named LoveAir — had departed from an airport in southern California on Monday.

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

How did we end up here?

In November, singer, model and actress Cassie, who had a romantic relationship with Combs for over a decade, filed an explosive lawsuit against him, alleging rape, abuse and sex trafficking. He denied the allegations. One day later, the exes settled the lawsuit, which was filed in New York under the New York Adult Survivors Act. The terms were not disclosed.

That opened the floodgates. Three other women filed lawsuits against Combs in the Southern District of New York alleging that they were sexually assaulted by the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer. Two of the women said they were teenagers at the time. One allegation involved gang rape and sex trafficking. Diddy denied the allegations in a statement, insisting he “did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”

In February, Jones, a producer who worked for Combs between 2022 and 2023, sued him, alleging that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him. He claimed Combs forced him to solicit sex workers and have sex with them at Combs’s direction. Jones claimed that on at least one occasion, he was drugged, waking up naked and disoriented in bed with Combs and two sex workers. Jones claimed to have witnessed Combs and others “engaging in serious illegal activity,” including sex trafficking underage sex workers and drugging them, while he lived and traveled with the superstar. Combs previously called Jones’s lawsuit “pure fiction.”

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is also a defendant in Jones’s lawsuit. Jones, who is heterosexual, alleged that Combs “groomed” him to pass him off to friends. Jones alleged that Combs left him alone with Gooding, who “began touching, groping and fondling” him. Jones said he “forcibly pushed” Gooding away. Jones alleged that Combs “breached his duty” by failing to stop Gooding “from sexually assaulting” him. Gooding has not responded to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

As a result of the allegations, Combs — a father of seven — stepped down as chairman of media network Revolt. On Tuesday, it was reported that Combs sold his remaining shares in the company. A rep for the company has not responded to a request for comment. Additionally, Hulu ditched plans for a reality series about his family.

Combs’s previous legal troubles

Combs had run-ins with authorities in the past. In 1999, he was arrested for assaulting Interscope Records exec Steve Stoute over a music video. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of harassment and was sentenced to one day of anger management.

The same year, Combs and then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were pulled over after fleeing a New York City nightclub where a shooting took place. A gun was found in the car, and Combs faced weapons and bribery charges but was acquitted.

March 28, 2024