Diddy Arrested In New York Following Indictment—Attorney Calls It “Unjust”

Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in Manhattan on Monday (September 16) following a grand jury indictment, although the official charges have yet to be divulged. The ball started rolling in November 2023, when ex Cassie Ventura filed a bombshell lawsuit against the Bad Boy Records mogul accusing him of sexual and physical abuse. A probe into Diddy’s lifestyle followed and a federal investigation ensued.

Federal agents executed search warrants at his properties in Los Angeles and Miami in March and investigators interviewed several people in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.

Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo addressed the arrest in a statement to AllHipHop.

“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,” Agnifilo said. “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.”

Following Ventura’s initial lawsuit, Diddy was hit with at least eight more civil lawsuits alleging abuse.

The most recent lawsuit against him came from former Bad Boy artist Dawn Richard, who filed a complaint last week in Manhattan federal court. Richard claims she witnessed Diddy abuse Ventura on multiple occasions and that recent lawsuits encouraged her to come forward.

“As more women courageously come forward, plaintiff has been empowered by this collective strength and now adds her voice to the growing chorus of victims bravely sharing their harrowing stories,” lawyers for Richard wrote.  “Together, they seek justice and stand in solidarity, as the latest victims of the #Me Too movement in the music industry.”

Kaleena Harper, who was once in the trio Dirty Money alongside Diddy and Richard, issued a statement to her Instagram Story in the wake of the lawsuit.

“I acknowledge the recent lawsuit filed by Dawn Richard in which my name has been mentioned 33 times,” Harper began. “While I fully respect Dawn’s right to recount her experiences, I want to emphasize that her account reflects her personal perspective and should not be interpreted as a universal truth applicable to everyone involved.

“It’s important to understand that while I was present in some of the same professional settings mentioned, many of the allegations and incidents described in this suit are not representative of my experiences, and some do not align with my own truth.”

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Another one of Diddy’s attorneys, Erica Wolf, dismissed it (once again) as an attempt to extort money from him.

“Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit,” Wolff said. “In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a payday — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.

“If Ms. Richard had such a negative experience with Making the Band and Danity Kane, she would not have chosen to continue working directly with Mr. Combs for Dirty Money, nor would she have returned for the Making the Band reboot in 2020 or agreed to be featured on The Love Album last year. It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him, but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.”