(NewsNation) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken into custody by federal authorities Monday after being arrested in New York six months after his homes were raided by investigators.
Combs was indicted by a grand jury and faces federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He appeared in court Tuesday morning to hear the charges against him along with his attorney Marc Agnifilo.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo said in a statement Monday.
Prosecutors allege Combs used the resources of his music empire to create “a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
Department of Homeland Security agents conducted raids March 25 at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home.
Where was Diddy during the raid?
While it’s still unclear exactly where he was during the searches of his homes, images from TMZ appear to show Combs walking around and coming face-to-face with federal authorities at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport when Brendon Paul, someone described as Combs’ “mule” in a lawsuit, was charged with possession of cocaine and “marijuana candy.” This happened just hours after the raids at Combs’ homes started.
Paul later pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Where is Diddy?
Combs is in federal custody, but prior to his arrest in New York he appeared to have kept a low profile.
Photos of him white-water rafting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with several people were reported by TMZ earlier this summer.
“I don’t think white water rafting will prepare him for the choppy waters that lie ahead,” Douglas Wigdor, an attorney representing singer Cassie Ventura, told the outlet at the time.
Ventura sued Combs late last year alleging years of sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed.
Less than a week after the raid, he was reportedly spotted at a Miami Topgolf with his 17-year-old daughters. A day later, fitness coach Wes Watson posted a picture of himself and Combs at the Pura Vida restaurant.
“Came to just GRAB a SHOT of ESPRESSO and I Ran into DIDDY‼️” Watson wrote. On Easter Sunday, Combs posted a picture of his daughter, writing, “HAPPY EASTER from Baby Love” as the caption.
Immediately after the raids, TMZ tracked the rapper’s personal jet. The news outlet initially reported the aircraft was on the ground in Antigua. It’s unknown if Combs was on the plane.
Combs’ private plane, a black LoveAir USA LLC-owned Gulfstream G550, has vanished from public tracking site FlightAware. Oli Coleman, deputy editor for Page Six, told “Banfield” that people can remove their planes from tracking sites.
“They’re keeping his whereabouts pretty close to the chest,” Coleman said. “As much as you can track those things, you can also go to some trouble and black yourself out of them. On this occasion, his plane disappeared, gone private as it were.”
Diddy was seen going out to dinner over Mother’s Day weekend in Miami with five of his children. He was pictured wearing all black and stepping into a vehicle the evening of May 11, the Daily Mail reported.
The embattled music producer previously deleted all of his Instagram posts, including an apology video in which he admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack on May 17.
In the now deleted post, Combs said he is “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said in the video, adding “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”
Hotel surveillance video from 2016 obtained by CNN appeared to show Combs violently attacking, kicking and shoving Ventura at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
In the video, Combs is seen running in a towel after Ventura who is seen standing in front of an elevator bank. He aggressively grabs and drags her down and then kicks her before picking up her luggage. He is then seen dragging her on the floor back to a hotel room as she braces her head.
Five days before the apology, he shared a cryptic message on this Instagram, writing, “Time tells truth.”
Why were Diddy’s homes raided?
The raid on Combs’ homes were connected to an investigation that led to his federal indictment.
The criminal charges come after Combs’ was hit with several civil sexual assault lawsuits in recent months.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Representation for Combs has said of those allegations that “we have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies.”
Ventura sued him in November alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them. The suit was settled the day after it was filed.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
Combs had said in a November statement, “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”
Who is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?
Combs — who has gone by other nicknames including Puff Daddy — is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry.
Former Bad Boy Records artist Mark Curry used the word “karma” to describe the investigation involving Diddy. He said his best advice is for the rapper “to grow up.”
“It’s just the chickens coming home to roost. This is just what happens. It’s karma. I don’t wish no bad upon him,” Curry said on “CUOMO.”
Combs’ former publicist Rob Shuter said although he liked “to party,” he never had reason to believe Combs was interested in underage girls.
“I’m not here to defend Puffy as a good person,” Shuter said. “Working with him, he was very tough, he was very demanding. But I’ve worked with a lot of famous people who were equally as demanding. But I never saw any evidence of this.”
Shuter added Combs “is not going to go down without a fight.”
This article mentions sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.