Sean “Diddy” Combs Arrested in New York on Confidential Criminal Charge

By Andrew Dalton, Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur, was arrested Monday night in New York on a confidential criminal charge, prosecutors announced.

Details of the charges against Combs were not immediately released, but the 58-year-old has faced a series of allegations from women in recent months, including claims of sexual assault.

US Attorney in Manhattan Damian Williams said in a statement that federal agents arrested Combs. “We hope to move to disclose the allegation in the morning and will have more to say then.”

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement saying, “We are disappointed in the decision to pursue what we believe is an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs by the United States Attorney.”

Agnifilo added that Combs went to New York last week in anticipation of charges being filed. “He’s an imperfect person, but he’s not a criminal,” Agnifilo said.

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby and is in federal custody, said a person familiar with the arrest who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition that she be anonymous because she was not authorized to speak publicly.

The federal investigation of Combs was revealed when Homeland Security Investigation agents issued search warrants and searched Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami mansions on March 25.

His defense attorney, Aaron Dyer, said the raids were a “crude use of military-grade force,” and said the allegations were “baseless” and Combs was “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name.

In November, his former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse, reporting a steady flow of sex workers into drug-fueled environments where they were forced or coerced into having sex.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast and West Coast hip hop battles of the 1990s as the partner and producer of Notorious BIG, who was shot to death in 1997.

Combs has denied nearly all of the allegations in the lawsuits. Although authorities did not publicly say that the lawsuits sparked the criminal investigation, Dyer said that when the arrest warrants were served, the case was based on “frivolous allegations made in civil lawsuits.”

As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Along with Notorious BIG, he worked with a host of leading artists, including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

The AP does not usually name people who say they have been sexually abused, unless they come forward publicly as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs’ roles in his non-music businesses, including a lucrative private label liquor, media company and Sean John fashion line, took a major hit when the allegations surfaced.

The consequences were even greater when the leaked video of Cassie’s beating came to light. Howard University cut ties with him, and returned his key to New York City at the request of the Mayor.