Rapper and hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested at a New York City hotel on Monday night amid a federal sex trafficking investigation, authorities said. The embattled rapper willingly traveled to New York ahead of his arrest, which followed a grand jury indictment, according to insider sources.
Combs was arrested at the Park Hyatt New York by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the agency usually responsible for handling sex trafficking cases. However, it was not immediately clear what the charge or charges were in his indictment. He is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, when the indictment detailing the charges against him will be released.
Arrested at Last
Officials had planned to arrest Combs on Tuesday, but an unexpected event led federal agents to take him into custody earlier, an insider told the outlet. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed that Combs was arrested in relation to a sealed indictment issued by the Southern District of New York, as reported by TMZ.
The federal agents were reportedly searching the room where Combs was detained, according to unverified reports cited by TMZ.
"Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY," Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. "We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time."
Combs has also faced allegations of a prolonged history of domestic abuse involving his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura.
She filed a lawsuit against him in November, which was swiftly settled. However, a troubling video from 2016 showing Combs assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway recently reemerged, sparking renewed outrage.
About six months ago, Combs' mansion in Beverly Hills was raided by Homeland Security. Although it's unclear what agents were searching for during the March raid, it is believed to be linked to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.
End of the Road?
Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to the Daily Mail, "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.
"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 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."
