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US rapper and business mogul Sean Combs has been charged with using his fame and fortune to run a sex trafficking enterprise, assault several women and prevent alleged victims of sexual coercion from fleeing, according to a federal indictment unsealed in New York on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old, also known as Diddy, was arrested on Monday night, and pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance on Tuesday. He was denied bail and ordered to remain in custody.
The formal allegations against him come after the FBI raided Combs’ homes in California and Florida as part of a long-running investigation, and the leaking of a video that appeared to show him kicking and beating a woman in a hotel corridor.
In their filing to a Manhattan federal court, US prosecutors said Combs had, over the course of at least a decade, “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct”.
They alleged he maintained control over his victims with “physical violence, promises of career opportunities, granting and threatening to withhold financial support, and by other coercive means, including tracking their whereabouts . . . monitoring their medical records, controlling their housing, and supplying them with controlled substances”.
The charges include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution. The most serious charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Combs for years “used the business empire he controlled to sexually abuse and exploit women, as well as to commit other acts of violence and obstruction of justice,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
After the hearing a lawyer for Combs, Marc Agnifilo, said his client was innocent and looked forward to clearing his name. Combs, who voluntarily flew to New York to co-operate with authorities, “is a fighter, he’s going to fight this to the end”, Agnifilo added. Combs will appeal against the decision denying him bail, he said.
The charges cap a turbulent few months for the rapper-turned-entrepreneur, whose business ventures have included a music label and a partnership with liquor brand Diageo.
In November, he was sued by R&B singer Cassie, his former girlfriend who was once signed to his label, over alleged rape and physical abuse. The case was quickly settled. In February, a music producer filed a separate lawsuit, accusing Combs of unwanted advances and of forcing him to procure prostitutes. In May, a former model accused Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex on him, and earlier this month, singer Dawn Richard also sued the rapper over alleged abuse.
Combs has denied all the allegations.
In May, a video that appeared to show Combs in a bath towel violently attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel was published by CNN. Combs said he had been at “rock bottom” and checked into rehab soon after the incident, describing the behaviour as “inexcusable”.
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