Federal prosecutors have levied startling allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs, asserting that he compelled an employee into sexual acts and menacing others with both physical force and financial ruin if they failed to assist him in a sex trafficking operation that spanned two decades, according to a superseding indictment unveiled on Thursday. These additional accusations serve as fresh revelations in the racketeering conspiracy charge already looming over Combs.
Combs has steadfastly pleaded innocence to the racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution charges. The revised federal indictment issued by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York doesn't introduce any fresh charges against Combs, who remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His trial is penciled in for May.
Prosecutors charge that Combs and his accomplices coerced at least three women into sexual encounters with him, and occasionally with male prostitutes. The prosecutor's narrative unveils instances where the women were often drugged and compelled to endure days of sexual activity, dubbed "Freak Offs."
Authorities claim Combs recorded some of these encounters and exerted control over his victims by dangling carrots of financial and career prospects, while also wielding threats of violence and other forms of harm.
Prosecutors further assert that Combs forced his employees to endure grueling work hours, often without sufficient rest. These employees, as per the indictment, feared losing their jobs "if they didn't bend to his whims" and faced additional threats of physical violence and tarnishing their reputations.
"In the case of one employee, Combs deployed physical force, psychological distress, financial ruin, and reputational damage, or combinations of these, to coerce the employee into sexual encounters with him," the indictment alleges.
In a statement to CNN, Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, declared that his client "categorically denies the accusations leveled by the SDNY." "He eagerly anticipates his day in court, where it will become unequivocally clear that he has never compelled anyone into sexual acts against their will," the statement continued. "Numerous former employees stand in solidarity with him, ready to testify to his dedication, relentless hard work, and the inspiration they drew while helping to build groundbreaking, award-winning ventures."
Combs is battling to dismiss the prostitution charge and has petitioned the judge to suppress evidence gathered during raids of his homes, hotel room, and electronic devices. Prosecutors have disclosed they possess recordings of Freak Offs and uncovered three AR-15 rifles with obliterated serial numbers, alongside more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant during these searches.
