Sean “Diddy” Combs was the sole defendant charged this week in a sweeping investigation into sex trafficking and racketeering.
But federal prosecutors have made clear they do not believe he is solely responsible.
The 14-page indictment against Combs accuses the Bad Boy Entertainment founder of recruiting female victims and using violence, coercion and drugs to lure the women into participating in “stories” — elaborate sexual shows that were often taped and sometimes lasted for days. They were taking too long.
This case required a wide network, a complex plan that required several people not only to know, but also to recruit victims, organize prostitution, clean up and cover up tracks so that law enforcement would not intervene.
“Combs did not do it all alone,” said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in announcing the charges. “He used the company, employees of that company, and other close associates to get away with it.”
Williams declined to comment on whether additional charges are pending, but said the investigation is “active and ongoing.”
“I can’t take anything off the table,” he said. “Anything is possible.”
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including federal racketeering, a charge often brought against organized crime figures. John Gotti, James “Whitey” Bulger and associates of the Mexican Mafia and the South Los Angeles Crips have all faced charges in the past.
Authorities said Combs’ power and money allowed him to avoid exposure for years. But some legal experts said the indictment could change that.
Matt Murphy, a former prosecutor who spent four years handling sex crimes in Orange County, said the wall of secrecy could come down.
The racketeering charge means anyone involved in the enterprise could face criminal charges, Murphy said, explaining: “There are people who are witnessing things and are now concerned about their criminal interests.”
That could put pressure on his associates to testify against Combs, he said.
“We don’t know yet, but I believe there are insiders in his organization who will face criminal charges and become federal witnesses,” Murphy said.
According to court records, prosecutors say they obtained information from “dozens of victims and witnesses,” as well as communications with sex workers and travel logs and records, including “dozens of video recordings made by (Combs) of Freak Offs with the Victims.”
“This indictment only names Combs, although it describes many other participants,” said Lori Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor. “So one wonders whether all of those participants will get a contract (from prosecutors) or will some of them join the defendant?’”
Federal prosecutors say Combs used his multi-billion dollar music and business empire to commit the alleged crimes. According to the indictment, security guards, housekeepers, personal assistants and other co-conspirators participated and used violence, intimidation, deception, bribery and threats to help conceal criminal activity.
For example, the indictment alleges that prior to the alleged incidents, employees and associates were required to recruit female victims to participate, “often under the guise of a romantic relationship.”
Others were assigned to book hotel rooms and stock them with what prosecutors called “Freak Off paraphernalia,” such as drugs, baby oil, lubricants, lighting and extra clothing.
Combs’ employees and associates were instructed to arrange travel for victims, hire sex workers, provide Combs with large sums of money to pay for sex work, and restock rooms when requested by Combs.
In the days that followed, the complaint says, staff provided Combs and the others with intravenous fluids for their recovery. Others were assigned to clean the rooms “to minimize damage to the room.”
According to the indictment, Combs and others also used drugs, threats to cut off financial support, videos of incidents and their influence in the entertainment industry to get victims to participate and keep them out of public view.
“The victims believed they could not refuse (Combs’) demands that their financial or employment security not be compromised or without the consequences of physical or emotional abuse,” the indictment states.
The indictment alleges that Combs’ business associates helped hide evidence and followed victims to ensure they did not leave Combs’ hotels or homes.
The allegation also refers to a 2016 video obtained by CNN in May that shows Combs kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura.
After a hotel security officer intervened, Combs allegedly attempted to bribe them, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also alleged that Combs and his associates approached the women, pressured them to provide false information about the incidents, bribed them or threatened them after the alleged investigation.
In one case, prosecutors alleged, Combs called the victim and asked for “friendship” and then tried to convince her she was willing to participate in the acts.
Mary Grow Lary, a professor at Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., and former director of the National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, compared Combs’ allegations to sex crimes and accusations against celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and RJ Kelly.
In many of these cases, there were many people who knew some of the facts, but it took years for the accusations to come to light.
“There are so many people who know about and facilitate this type of sexual exploitation of vulnerable women, and yet no one speaks up, and that is worrying,” Grow Larry said.
Wealth is one of the tools used to hide potential illegal activities, but Grow Larry said an individual’s influence, power and public image also play a role.
He pointed to child pornography charges originally filed against Kelly in 2002, during which state prosecutors faced significant pressure. Kelly was acquitted of those charges in 2008.
It was only a few years later, after the accusations surfaced. Articles published by journalist Jim DerogatisA new investigation was launched and Kelly was convicted in 2022 on multiple counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.
“It is hidden from society because power is part of the makeup,” he said. “Being a pillar of society, a source of power that does not make it accessible to the masses or creates resistance for society to accept it.”
Combs’ attorneys have vowed to fight the charges.
“He will fight this to the very end. “He is innocent,” Combs’ attorney, Mark Agnifilo, said outside court this week. “He came to New York to prove his innocence. He is not afraid; he is not afraid of the accusations. There is nothing the government said in its filing today that would change anyone’s mind about anything.”
Combs was ordered held without bail. His attorneys appealed the decision, arguing in a letter to the judge that the music star had taken several steps to show he was a flight risk, including traveling to New York with the intention of turning himself in to authorities and surrendering his passport.
A judge on Wednesday ordered Combs to remain in custody pending trial.
