In 2014, Sean “Diddy” Combs posed in a black robe and cap as he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Howard University.
For Combs, who dropped out of the prestigious college after two years, being accepted by the academy was the latest honor in a career that has seen him showered with awards and made him one of the richest rap stars in the world.
But authorities now say Combs, who told graduates to “close your eyes and dream” in his commencement speech, was a violent sex trafficker who used his polished public image to hide his identity.
The music mogul, who was recently arrested in New York, is on trial on charges of sex trafficking, which allegedly took place between 2009 and 2018, transportation for prostitution, which allegedly took place between 2009 and 2024, and racketeering, which allegedly began in 2008.
The charges, which Combs denies, are based on allegations that he intimidated and threatened women into participating in days-long sex parties with male prostitutes, which he called “Freak Offs.”
According to the indictment unsealed Tuesday, Combs directed and sometimes filmed the encounters and drugged participants to keep them docile.
The 54-year-old is said to have occasionally become violent during these “Freak Offs”, beating and kicking his female victims and dragging them by the hair. Some of these injuries took weeks to heal, the indictment alleges.
Combs and his victims, who allegedly masturbated during “Freak Offs,” are said to have received IV drips to recover from physical exertion and drug use.
Items seized range from thousands of bottles of baby oil to weapons
The rapper allegedly distributed illegal drugs, including ecstasy, ketamine and opioids, to his victims to keep them “submissive and compliant.”
Law enforcement officers seized narcotics, “Freak Offs” videos and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant during searches of Combs’ home earlier this year, according to prosecutors.
Agents also seized firearms and ammunition from a bedroom closet in Miami, including three AR-15s with their serial numbers removed, two of which had been disassembled, they said.
Combs’ attorney stated that the guns in his client’s home did not belong to him and that his client works with a security company.
Authorities won’t say how many victims Combs abused during the “Freak Offs” years. They’ll just allege I“More than one” woman is involved.
During the years prosecutors allege these “Freak Offs” occurred, Combs was reaping the rewards of his decades as the man at the top of the music business.
The indictment alleges that these stories were kept from the public eye by a criminal organization tasked with satisfying its sexual desires, thus keeping its public image clean.
In September 2023, Combs was given the key to the city by New York Mayor Eric Adams, an irony that prosecutors insisted was emphasized after the indictment was unsealed.
“A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was given a key to New York City,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
“He was indicted today and will face justice in the Southern District of New York.”
In 2008, when the first accusations were made, Combs was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one of a number of awards in his brilliant career.
In the photos, one of the music world’s leaders can be seen posing for the cameras, smiling in a crisp white suit and sunglasses.
The rap billionaire was awarded the 2023 Global Icon Award for his contributions to music since the mid-1990s, when he worked with artists such as Notorious BIG and Mary J Blige.
Combs allegedly created a “criminal organization” of employees and associates who made “Freak Offs” possible and protected the reputation of the man who changed his name to “Love” in 2017.
The public face of Comb’s activities included operations ranging from record labels, to a clothing line, to a television network.
But she was also tasked with “increasing Combs’ power, reputation and brand,” “ensuring his sexual gratification, enabling sex trafficking, and using violence and threats to achieve her goals,” according to the indictment.
The group is said to be operating in New York as well as elsewhere in the US.
Stocking up and cleaning, Freak Off style
The lawsuit alleges that Combs’ security guards, housekeepers and personal assistants stocked hotel rooms for “Freak Offs” and then cleaned them up.
They also claim that Combs would even give them large sums of cash to pay prostitutes and schedule IV fluids to be delivered when the orgies finally ended.
Combs and his associates are said to have resorted to violence against witnesses and anyone who threatened to tarnish their public image, including multiple acts of kidnapping and arson. Authorities declined to release further details about those alleged crimes Tuesday.
The 54-year-old suspect allegedly used a firearm to intimidate and threaten his victims, and three AR-15 semi-automatic rifles were found during raids on his home earlier this year.
Combs also allegedly threatened to damage the careers of women who did not want to participate in the “Freak Offs.” If that failed, he had them record themselves during previous encounters to “ensure the victims’ continued compliance and silence,” according to the indictment.
‘Nothing is out of the question’
Damiam Williams did not rule out further charges against employees and associates who enabled Combs’ alleged crimes. “Nothing is off the table,” she said.
The indictment is another blow to Combs’ tattered reputation, whose public image has been in decline for months due to allegations in the press and lawsuits filed by multiple women.
Footage from 2016, released earlier this year, appeared to show the rapper attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel.
The man, wearing a towel, punched and kicked the woman, then dragged her along the ground by her hood.
After the video surfaced, Combs apologized for attacking Ventura and said he was “disgusted” with himself and was “seeking professional help” in therapy and rehab.
The New York indictment alleges that a hotel security guard tried to intervene during the incident and that Combs tried to bribe them to keep the incident quiet.
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said outside court Tuesday that his client would plead not guilty to the charges and vowed to “fight like hell” to have him released from custody.
“Their morale is good,” Mr. Agnifilo added. “They are confident.”
A judge later ruled that Combs be held in jail without bail.