A former Bad Boy Records bodyguard Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman accused of sexually assaulting a woman with Diddy at his Bad Boy studios in New York in 2001 claims he’s being made a scapegoat because he refused to be a witness against the Hip-Hop mogul.
Sherman denies knowing Thalia Graves who claims the duo drugged and raped her over two decades ago. She also alleged the assault was filmed and the footage was later shopped as pornography.
In a new interview, Sherman maintained his innocence, insisting he wasn’t in the city at the time of the alleged attack.
“I am not questioning her integrity. I am just questioning her claims against me,” Sherman told News 4 New York. “You got the wrong man. I wasn’t even in the same room with you, I have never seen you. I wasn’t even in New York that I recall at the time.”
Furthermore, Sherman claims he wasn’t employed by Diddy in 2001 but did security for Bad Boy in the 1990s.
“Her and whoever she’s in cahoots with was orchestrating a money grab. And she wanted me to be part of that money grab,” he said. She wanted to get Diddy,” he said.
Sherman Claims He was Asked To Be A Witness Against Diddy
Sherman showed the outlet Instagram DMs reportedly linked to Graves, starting in November 2023.
He was asked to confirm if he was “Big Joe” before being told to call a number.
“If you will be my witness against Diddy, then my attorneys will leave you out of any proceedings,” the text read. “Because we have statements that you physically showed over eight people videos of me and you to people in the studio.”
Sherman replied, “I don’t know what the f### you talking about [or] know who the f### you are.”
He told News 4 New York: “I am nothing but a scapegoat for this BS because I wouldn’t lie on Puffy.”
After filing her lawsuit, Graves spoke at a press conference alongside her attorney Gloria Allred.
“The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into words,” Graves said. “It goes beyond just the physical harm caused during the assault. It’s a pain that reaches into the very core of who I am leaving emotional scars that may never fully heal.”