Prosecutors on Monday filed at least six new indictments in federal court in Manhattan against American producer and rapper Sean "DidiCombs, formerly known as Pee Diddy and Puff Daddy. Combs is accused of raping women, sexually abusing men and abusing a minor boy, the Associated Press reported.
Two lawsuits were filed by women and four by men. They are, their lawyers say, part of a group of more than 100 alleged victims who have yet to file charges against Combs, who last month arrested for human trafficking.
New accusations
One of the men who filed the lawsuit alleges that Combs fondled his genitalia when he was 16 at a "white party" in the Hamptons on Long Island in 1998.
He claims that during a discussion about a possible entry into the music industry, Combs ordered him to drop his pants, telling him it was a rite of passage to become a music star.
Other lawsuits filed Monday relate to rape, forced oral sex and drugging to incapacitate the victims, Voice of America reports.
One woman is suing him for raping her in a locked hotel room in 2004 after he invited her and a friend to a party there, and another alleges Combs raped her in a bathroom in 1995 at a party at rapper Biggie Smalls' house.
In other new lawsuits, Combs is accused of forcing a man to perform oral sex in a Manhattan department store warehouse in 2008 and sexually assaulting a man at a party in October 2021.
Arrested in September
Didi is arrested on September 16 on charges that since 2008 he ran a criminal organization that used drugs and violence to coerce women to "participate in sexual activity," prosecutors said.
More victims have been identified, and videos of pimping parties, guns, ammunition and 1000 bottles of lubricant allegedly used in prostitution were found in the rapper's New York apartment, according to Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Combs has been in federal prison in Brooklyn since September 16, after his bail request was denied. According to the counts of the indictment, he pleaded "not guilty".
An ex-girlfriend started the avalanche
The avalanche of accusations against the rapper was launched by his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, who sued him for years of physical and sexual abuse. Ventura's lawsuit also included allegations of sex trafficking. She claimed that he often beat her and forced her to engage in sexual activities with other men.
The case went to Federal Court where the two settled, without disclosing the terms of the settlement. Combs' attorney said the plea bargain did not admit him to wrongdoing.
Combs initially denied everything, claiming the allegations were "sick". But then in May of this year, CNN released surveillance footage that clearly shows Combs beating up Ventura in Los Angeles in 2016.
Then singer Dan Richard claimed that Diddy sexually assaulted her and then threatened her between 2005 and 2012, while Richard was in the all-girl band Danity Dane that Combs founded. She said in her lawsuit that she attended Combs' parties where guests were required to hand over their phones, and that she witnessed Combs and his guests sexually assaulting drunken underage girls.
In February, the latest in a series of charges against Didi was filed. At issue is the lawsuit by Rodney "Lily Rod" Jones, the producer on Diddy's latest album, who claimed that Combs forced him to hire prostitutes and pressured him to engage in sexual relations with them.
The trial awaits behind bars
Although Didi's legal team has requested his release on bail three times, the rapper will await the trial, scheduled for May 5, 2025, in custody.
If he is convicted on three counts of the indictment - racketeering, human trafficking in the capacity of sexual exploitation and crimes related to prostitution, Didi faces at least 15 years to life in prison.
Source: FoNet/AP
