Two properties associated with hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs were raided on Monday by federal agents as part of an investigation into sex trafficking, according to reports first published in TMZ.
These included Combs’ mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, where at least two of his children were present, and another property in Miami Beach, Florida. It is not clear whether Combs was the subject of the raid, which originated with a warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Combs has had business operations.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners,” officials told the Associated Press.
BREAKING: Feds search Sean “Diddy” Combs’ properties as part of sex trafficking probe, AP sources say https://t.co/tHaxyRhjai
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 25, 2024
The Catholic-raised rapper and business executive, whose Combs Global operation is headquartered in Miami, has been the subject of multiple sexual assault lawsuits in recent months, including cases involving his former partner Cassie Ventura and former collaborator Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones.
Combs has denied the allegations, which in the case of Jones also involved his adult son Justin Combs, Combs Global chief of staff Kristina Khorram, Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam. The singer Aaron Hall is a co-defendant in another case against Diddy alleging gang rape.
Justin Combs, who was present at Diddy’s Los Angeles home during the HSI raid, was seen on the property in handcuffs with his brother Christian “King” Combs while investigators completed a search. Khorram, who was alleged to have procured and drugged sex workers for Combs over the years, had deleted her social media accounts as of Monday afternoon.
Diddy himself, initially thought to have boarded a private plane leaving the country at the time of the raid, was later confirmed not to have been on board. He was later seen on video pacing outside the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
Combs, 54, has largely stayed out of the public eye since a November 2023 lawsuit accused him of raping, trafficking, and physically abusing Ventura, with whom he was in a relationship from 2007 to 2018. The case was settled the following day. Two more lawsuits came within a week, including from an anonymous woman alleging statutory rape in 2003.
In December, Combs issued a statement calling the accusations false and defamatory.
“I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Additional lawsuits were filed by two more alleged victims in December and February. The latter, filed by Jones in a New York federal court, says Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him, and forced him to engage in sexual acts with sex workers.
An attorney for Ventura and the Jane Doe released a statement on Monday expressing support for this week's law enforcement actions against Combs.
“We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law,” said Douglas Widgor. “Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct.”
Mark Geragos, Combs’ attorney in a 2015 assault case after he attacked his son’s football coach at UCLA, reacted to the “warp speed” HSI operation with surprise. He appeared with Chris Cuomo during a Monday appearance on NewsNation.
“It is a shock,” Geragos said. “I’ve known Sean for at least over a decade. I’ve represented him and I will tell you it’s a shocking turn of events.”
Combs, once thought to be worth more than $1 billion from his various business ventures, has lost a number of sponsors and partnerships since the onset of his most recent legal troubles, including Macy’s, Hulu, and the British alcohol company Diageo.
He stepped down from the role of chairman at his media network REVOLT in November, with the company distancing itself from its co-founder and visionary.
“Combs has previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business,” wrote the company, which covered the HSI raid on Monday.
“Our focus has always been one that reflects our commitment to the collective journey of REVOLT—one that is not driven by any individual, but by the shared efforts and values of our entire team on behalf of advancing, elevating and championing our culture—and that continues.”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
