Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested in New York, his attorney tells CNN
CNN
By Elizabeth Wagmeister and Josh Campbell, CNN
(CNN) — Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has faced a parade of sexual assault lawsuits and a federal human trafficking probe in the last year, has been arrested, the producer’s attorney tells CNN.
Combs – who has been in New York City since last week – was arrested Monday at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan and taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations at approximately 8:15 p.m., a source familiar with the negotiations tells CNN.
The charges and details of the case against Combs are unclear at this time.
Negotiations for the Combs’ surrender had been ongoing, and the sealed indictment was voted on Monday, according to the source.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, told CNN.
Combs’ attorney said that the musician has been cooperating with the investigation that led to the indictment and “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.” His team maintains his innocence, and says he has “nothing to hide.”
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but is not criminal,” Agnifilo told CNN.
Agnifolo asked people to “please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Also on Monday, Damian Williams, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, released the following statement: “Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Earlier this year, Combs became the target of a months-long sex trafficking probe by the Homeland Security Investigations agency, which included dramatic searches of the musician’s Los Angeles and Miami homes in March.
Since last November, Combs has been hit with ten lawsuits, nine directly accusing him of sexual assault. As previously reported by CNN, several of those accusers had met with federal investigators for questioning as part of the wide-ranging probe.
CNN exclusively reported in May that federal investigators were preparing to bring accusers of Combs before a federal grand jury for testimony – a significant escalation in the government’s investigation that signaled the Justice Department was moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of the rapper and businessman.
Combs has previously denied all wrongdoing alleged in the various lawsuits. However, he issued a public apology after CNN exclusively released surveillance footage earlier this year that showed Combs brutally assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.
An attorney for three of Combs’ accusers – Lil Rod, April Lampros and Grace O’Marcaigh – called the arrest “long-awaited.”
“We leave the criminal aspect of this case in the hands of the people and justice system,” attorney Tyrone Blackburn said in a statement Monday night. “As for the civil cases, we await our time for the facts to reveal themselves and seek the justice our clients deserve.”
Blackburn said he expects more alleged victims to come forward.
“We knew this was coming. The evidence is very clear and it was only a matter of time. This is an important step towards justice for all of Mr. Combs’ victims including my clients. Justice will prevail,” Blackburn added.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
CNN’s Kara Scannell and John Miller contributed to this report.
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