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Sean "Diddy" Combs has been placed under arrest. According to NBC News, the rapper was taken into custody on September 16 by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. The arrest happened in a hotel lobby in New York City, according to a person with knowledge of the circumstances.
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, federal agents detained Combs on the basis of a sealed indictment, as NBC News reported.
Williams said, "We will have more to say at that time. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning."
Although the 54-year-old's charges are unknown, Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo stated he has been anticipating the legal action.
The lawyer said in a statement, "He moved to New York voluntarily last week in anticipation of these charges." "Please wait to make a decision until you have all the information. These actions are those of an innocent man who has nothing to conceal and is eager to have his name cleared in court.
Combs, in the words of his lawyer, has been "nothing but cooperative with this investigation."
"We feel that the U.S. Attorney's Office has chosen to pursue what we consider to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs," Agnifilo said. "Over the past thirty years, Sean 'Diddy' Combs has built an empire, loved his family, and worked to uplift the Black community. He is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, and proven philanthropist. Despite his imperfections, he is not a criminal.
Federal agents raided Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles back in May, several sources told NBC News at the time. The raids may be connected to a federal investigation into claims of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal drugs and weapons, an insider familiar with the case told the outlet.
Combs had not been taken into custody, as his lawyer Aaron Dyer clarified the next day. Dyer then charged that the government had used "gross overuse of military-level force" during the search.
"There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated," the attorney said in a statement. "This unprecedented ambush, which is nothing more than a witch hunt based on baseless accusations made in civil lawsuits, leads to an early rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence."
