THE ANGELS –
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorney said Tuesday that searches of the rapper’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami by federal authorities in a sex trafficking investigation were “a blatant use of force on a military level” and that Combs is “innocent and will continue to investigate.” fight” to clear his name.
It is the first public statement from the music mogul’s team since Monday’s raids on his homes by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
“Yesterday there was a serious excessive use of force at the military level when search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” said the statement from attorney Aaron Dyer. “There is no excuse for the excessive display of force and hostility exhibited by the authorities.” or the way their children and employees were treated.”
The searches were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Combs was not detained or spoke to authorities, and neither he nor any of his family members were arrested nor had their travel restricted, according to Dyer’s statement.
Dyers said the “unprecedented ambush” has led to “a premature rush to try Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on baseless allegations made in civil lawsuits.”
“No criminal or civil liability has been found with any of these allegations,” Dyers said. “Mr. Combs is innocent and he will continue to fight every day to clear his name.”
Combs’ sons, Justin and Christian “King” Combs, were handcuffed during the raid on their father’s Los Angeles residence. King, 25, is a musical artist whose song “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” featuring Kodak Black topped Billboard’s Mainstream R&B Hip-Hop charts in 2022.
Authorities carried out the raid Monday at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles and his beachfront home in Miami. Along with a heavy officer presence, command trucks were parked outside both properties.
The criminal investigation is a major escalation in scrutiny of Combs, who has been accused in several sexual abuse trials in recent months.
In a lawsuit that Combs settled the day after his performance in November, his former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit says he forced her to have sex with prostitutes while she filmed them.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to hire prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago, when she was 17 years old.
Combs and his attorneys have denied all allegations in the lawsuits.
The AP does not typically name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly like Cassie did.
Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of the largest empires in hip-hop, breaking ground with various entities linked to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a host of top artists, including Notorious BIG, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.