Fans rallied en masse on social media after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested in New York City on Monday night following a grand jury indictment.
The 54-year-old rap mogul was arrested at a Manhattan hotel and is currently being processed. The specific charges are unclear at this time.
Earlier this year, Combs was the focus of a months-long sex trafficking investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, which included dramatic raids of the musician’s Los Angeles and Miami homes in March.
“We are disappointed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we believe was an unfair trial,” Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, told DailyMail.com.
As news of the Grammy winner’s arrest went viral, fans expressed their shock and emotions over the unfolding situation, with one writing, “He’s gonna be fine in jail, he’s gonna love it there.”
Fans flocked to social media after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested in New York City on Monday night following a grand jury indictment; (2020 photo)
Another shared, “That must be a great case the FBI has against Diddy,” while another wrote, “Everyone knew he did it. He only gets a year in jail.”
A fan referenced the ongoing mysteries surrounding the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and suggested that Diddy reveal what he knew about the cases.
“Well maybe now he’ll be forced to tell what he knows about the Tupac and Biggie murders!!,” the follower wrote.
One wild comment read: ‘He may be a horrible person, but he has so many catchy songs, and that’s what really matters.’
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Combs was arrested in connection with a sealed indictment issued by the Southern District of New York. TMZ.
According to TMZ, federal officials searched the room where they arrested Combs, based on “unconfirmed reports.”
Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo released a statement to DailyMail.com saying: ‘We are disappointed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we believe is unfair.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the past 30 years building an empire, doting on his children and working to improve the black community.
When news of the Grammy winner’s arrest went viral, fans expressed their shock and mixed emotions over the unfolding situation. One posted: “He’s gonna be fine in jail, he’s gonna love it there”
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 voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
Agnifilo added: “Please reserve judgment until you have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man who has nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Monday night’s indictment comes less than six months after the music mogul’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were searched by federal authorities on March 25. (TMZ noted that Monday’s high-profile arrest was apparently related to the investigations.)
Combs, also known as Diddy and Puff Daddy, has been in the spotlight over the past year after quickly settling a lawsuit with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023, alleging he engaged in sex trafficking and abuse.
A video circulated in May of him attacking her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2016. He said he had “hit rock bottom” and had “no excuses” for his “inexcusable” behavior depicted in the clip, adding that he took “full responsibility.”
Monday night’s indictment comes less than six months after the music mogul’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were searched by federal authorities on March 25. Officials pictured in Miami Beach
Nearly six months ago, a Beverly Hills home owned by the music mogul was ransacked
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battle of the 1990s as a partner and producer of the Notorious B.I.G. He was shot and killed in 1997.
But like many who survived this period, his image had deteriorated over the years, and he had morphed into a distinguished party host in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-conscious businessman and a devoted father who spoiled his children, some of whom lost their mothers in 2018.
But a different picture emerged in November, when his former protégé and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to accuse him of sexual abuse. They told of a constant stream of sex workers in drug-fueled settings, with some of them being coerced or persuaded to have sex.
In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape.
In her lawsuit, Combs also alleged that she engaged in sex trafficking by “forcing her to participate in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by “harboring and transporting Plaintiff for sexual purposes induced by force, deception, or coercion.”
He also allegedly forced her to help him traffic male sex workers, with whom Combs forced Cassie to have sex while he filmed.
The case was settled the next day, but its aftermath would last much longer.
Combs lost his loyal allies, supporters and reserved judges when CNN aired a leaked video in May showing him punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the floor in a hotel hallway.
Combs quickly settled a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023, in which she alleged that he engaged in sex trafficking and abused her. Pictured in March 2016
Last May, a video circulated of him attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2016
He said after the clip’s release that he had “hit rock bottom” and that he had “no excuses” for his “inexcusable” behavior depicted in the clip, adding that he took “full responsibility.”
Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.”
The next day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the flood of allegations began, Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m still disgusted now.”
In the months that followed, at least six more lawsuits were filed against Cassie.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to approach prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who claimed the rap producer raped her 20 years ago, when she was 17.
Another woman who filed the lawsuit, April Lampos, said she met Combs as a college student in 1994 and that a series of “terrifying sexual encounters” with Combs and those around him began that lasted for years.
Combs and his attorneys denied nearly all of the allegations in the lawsuits.
While authorities have not publicly said the lawsuits were the start of a criminal investigation, Dyer said when the warrants were issued that the case was based on “unfounded allegations made in civil lawsuits.”
Before his fall from grace, the musician was photographed at the 2023 VMAs
Combs pictured at the Met Gala in May 2023 in NYC
Normally, the AP does not name people who say they were sexually abused unless they report it publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.
As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip-hop producers and managers of the past thirty years. In addition to the Notorious B.I.G., he has worked with a number of top artists, including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
Combs’ role in his non-music businesses — including lucrative private-label liquor brands, a media company and the Sean John Fashion line — took a major hit when the allegations came to light.
The fallout was even greater when the leaked video of the assault surfaced. Howard University cut ties with him and he returned his key to the city of New York at the request of the mayor.