(NewsNation) — Homes belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs were swarmed by federal investigators over four months ago, and it appears the rap mogul has been sticking close to Miami, although he was seen taking a rafting trip to Wyoming late last month.
Department of Homeland Security agents conducted raids March 25 at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home. Little is known about the investigation, and Combs has not been charged in relation to the raids.
The rap mogul is reportedly the subject of a federal criminal investigation in New York, with a grand jury hearing evidence of alleged sex trafficking by Combs.
Investigators collected evidence during the raids, including electronic devices and phones, that will need to be analyzed.
Nadia Shihata, who prosecuted R. Kelly for sex crimes in New York, told NewsNation that the complexity of this particular case will require a significant amount of time for fact-finding.
Where was Diddy during the raid?
While it’s still unclear exactly where he was during the searches, 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?
While Combs had been keeping a low profile, at last check, he appears to be traveling on his private jet and was on vacation in Wyoming.
Photos of him white-water rafting in Jackson Hole with several people were reported by TMZ.
“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. Ventura earlier this year sued Diddy alleging years of sexual abuse, and the lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed.
Combs posted a video on his Instagram story showing him walking toward his private plane at an airport with a mat on the ground that read “Combs Air” this week, the outlet reported. He then gave the pilot a fist bump before climbing a flight of stairs into the aircraft and mumbling, “No place like home.”
It was his first post since completely deleting his social media posts.
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.
“Antigua, as we know, is an extradition country, so probably not the best place to flee to if Diddy was indeed on that plane, if that’s where he is,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said during an interview on “Banfield” at the time.
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.”
Is Diddy in custody?
Combs broke his silence after the raids via his attorney Aaron Dyer. According to a statement released by Dyer, the rap mogul was “never detained, but spoke to and cooperated 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,” Dyer said.
Combs has not been charged.
Why were Diddy’s homes raided?
Federal authorities have not shared many details as to what prompted the raids, but NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported that it was part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. Investigators are reportedly widening their probe to include potential witness intimidation, sexual assault and firearms violations, according to a New York Post report.
Other reports have also indicated the federal probe into Combs could expand to include reinvestigating a 1999 shooting outside a New York City nightclub.
The raids also come after Combs has faced several sexual assault lawsuits in recent months.
Dyer said any speculation about the raids “leads to premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
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.”
Cassie 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.