Police in the US have raided several properties connected to rapper Sean Combs.
The artist, also known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, and Diddy, is being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Combs denies the accusations against him. This week’s raids are believed to have been carried out at his homes in Miami and LA.
Here’s what we know so far.
Who is Sean Combs?
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs founded music label Bad Boy Records in 1993 before rising to prominence as a rapper and producer.
Bad Boy has represented some of the world’s most famous rappers, including the Notorious B.I.G.
Combs has also acted in multiple films including ‘Get him to the Greek’ and ‘Monster’s Ball’.
Allegations
Combs’ former partner Cassandra Ventura launched a sexual assault lawsuit against him in November 2023.
Ventura, aka pop singer Cassie, met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37.
In the lawsuit, Combs was accused of trapping her in a “cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking”.
Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, alleged she was “lured” into a “fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle,” and described Combs as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man”.
Combs denied the allegations levelled against him in Ventura’s lawsuit. The legal action was dropped after Combs and Ventura settled out of court.
Earlier this year, former music producer Rodney Jones alleged that Combs spiked the drinks of minors and sex workers at his homes in California, New York, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
He also alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him. Combs denied all allegations through his lawyers.
Police raids
Footage captured by local news outlets in Los Angeles shows armed officers raiding a Beverly Hills home on Monday.
The vision also shows some people at the property being detained.
U.S. TV networks claim the home belongs to Combs, based on the address listed on recent court documents.
Police are yet to confirm who owns the property.
A statement from Homeland Security – the national agency responsible for U.S. border security – confirmed federal and local investigators have carried out “law enforcement actions” in LA and Miami.
Wigdor, Ventura’s lawyer, responded to the raids, saying he hoped this was “the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct”.
