Sean “Diddy” Combs Indicted on Sex Trafficking and Racketeering Charges

Update: Combs’ indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, revealing that the mogul had been charged with three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested by federal agents on Monday and is now set to appear for an arraignment in Manhattan.

“He’s going to plead not guilty, obviously,” Marc Agnifilo, one of Combs’s lawyers, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning, per The New York Times. “He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might, and the full confidence of his lawyers. And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.”

Original story: The New York Times reports that Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested in New York following an indictment by a federal grand jury.

The criminal charges filed against Diddy are yet to be publicly announced as the indictment is sealed, however, a source familiar with the matter told The New York Times that they believed the charges to be connected with racketeering and sex trafficking. The US Attorney’s Office in New York has not responded to a request for comment.

Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told Pitchfork that they “are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” The statement continues:

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he Is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Earlier this March, Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach were raided by federal agents, and Diddy himself was stopped at an airport in Miami where his electronic devices were taken away. A source familiar claims that at the time, federal prosecutors in New York were already interviewing several witnesses about the sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Combs is currently facing five sexual assault lawsuits and three sexual misconduct lawsuits, which he has repeatedly denied doing.