LOS ANGELES — Federal agents discovered firearms while searching Sean “Diddy” Combs' property in both Los Angeles and Miami, three people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The Department of Homeland Security executed a warrant Monday from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and seized the music mogul's cellphone in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas.
Mr. Combs has had multiple lawsuits filed against him in recent months and is the subject of a federal criminal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.
Three women and one man were questioned by federal authorities in Manhattan on charges of sex trafficking, sexual assault, solicitation and distribution of illegal drugs and firearms, the person said.
It was not immediately clear what type of firearms were found or who they belonged to.
Combs' attorney, Aaron Dyer, described Monday's raid as a “gross excessive use of military-grade force.” Mr. Dyer said in his statement that neither Mr. Combs nor his family had been arrested.
“There is no excuse for the excessive use of force, hostility, or treatment of children and employees displayed by our authorities,” Dyer said. “Mr. Combs was never in custody, but spoke with and cooperated with authorities.”
Dyer said Combs is innocent and “will continue to fight every day to clear his name,” adding that Combs has not been found responsible for the charges against him.
Combs has been the subject of a number of civil lawsuits since November, including a civil lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Kathy, who accuses him of years of physical and sexual abuse. Kathy (her full name is Cassandra Ventura) took advantage of New York's Adult Survivors Act, which gives adult victims of sexual assault one year to file a civil lawsuit without regard to the statute of limitations.
She and Combs settled the case a day after filing the lawsuit in New York. Combs rejected the accusations as offensive and outrageous.
Since then, three other women have filed lawsuits in the Southern District of New York alleging that Combs sexually assaulted them. The two were reportedly teenagers at the time.
Combs denied each sexual assault allegation, calling it “sickening.”
A former employee who worked at Combs from September 2022 to November 2023 also filed a lawsuit in February, alleging that Combs subjected her to sexual harassment, drugging, and intimidation over a period of more than a year. Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones also claimed in the lawsuit that he has video and audio evidence that Combs, his staff, and others “engaged in gross misconduct.” .
The case is ongoing, but Combs denies the charges.
