Federal agents raided homes connected to hip-hop mogul Sean Combs in Los Angeles and Miami on Monday, according to people familiar with the case.
The Department of Homeland Security conducted the raid but did not provide details about the incident, including whether Combs was targeted or what criminal charges are being investigated. Combs, also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, has been accused of sexual assault and sex trafficking in multiple civil cases over the past few months.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Combs did not respond to a request for comment.
The criminal investigation was being conducted by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York and federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement officials said. Southern district spokesman Nicholas Beers declined to comment.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that New York investigators “conducted law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and local law enforcement partners.” Ta.
Video from local Los Angeles television station Fox 11 (KTTV) showed armed officers entering a home in the city's Holmby Hills neighborhood, which law enforcement officials said was related to Combs. California public records also show the home is owned by a company led by Combs.
The raid marks a milestone in the career of Combs, 54, a producer, label executive and occasional rapper who has been one of the most influential and widely recognized figures in the music industry over the past 30 years. , it was a surprising development.
He played a key role in turning hip-hop into a global commercial force, creating hits and extraordinary personalities for rap and R&B performers such as Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. He himself had smash hits with songs such as “I'll Be Missing You” (1997), a ballad about the Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a drive-by shooting. The song featured the rapper's widow, Faith Evans, and sampled a song by The Police. Press “Every Breath You Take.”
But Combs has also been dogged by accusations of violence for decades. In November, she was accused of sexual assault by her ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, who was signed to her own Bad Boy label as a performing artist.
In her lawsuit, Ventura accused Combs of forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes over a period of years. The lawsuit says Ventura became a victim of sex trafficking as a result of these encounters in numerous cities across the United States.
Ms. Ventura's civil suit was resolved in just one day, and she and Mr. Combs said the dispute had been resolved “amicably.”
The suit, filed in a detailed 35-page complaint, made headlines around the world and jeopardized the business brand he had steadily built over decades. Months before Ms. Ventura's lawsuit, Ms. Combs won an industry award and released her first studio album in 17 years.
Even after the settlement, Ventura's lawsuit was followed by several more, each accusing Combs of sexual assault. In one lawsuit filed last month, music producer Rodney Jones said Combs subjected him to unwanted sexual contact and forced him to hire prostitutes to participate in sex acts. In recent months, many of Combs' business partners have distanced themselves from him.
Federal agents in New York are leading the investigation and have been interviewing potential witnesses about the sexual misconduct allegations against Combs for several months, according to people familiar with the matter.
Combs denies the charges against him. After an anonymous woman filed a lawsuit in December accusing Combs and two other men of raping her in a New York recording studio in 2003 when she was 17 years old, the music mogul He said: I'm looking for an early payday. To be clear, I have not done anything as egregious as is being alleged. ”
After Jones' lawsuit last month, Combs' attorney Sean Hawley said Jones was “nothing but a liar who shamelessly filed a $30 million lawsuit for unreasonable wages,” and his accusations. said it was a “complete fabrication”. ” Two other attorneys for Mr. Hawley and Mr. Combs also did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
Douglas Wigdor, an attorney representing Ms. Ventura and the unnamed woman who sued Mr. Combs alleging assault at a New York studio, said in a statement Monday that “when law enforcement seeks to prosecute criminals, , we will always support you.'' Have you ever broken a law? We hope this is the beginning of a process to hold Mr. Combs accountable for his depraved actions. ”
The home searched in Miami was located on Star Island, an upscale enclave of mansions on Biscayne Bay popular with celebrities and the wealthy. The usual calm Monday was filled with a Homeland Security Investigations van with flashing red and blue lights, a law enforcement officer in a blue windbreaker and at least two staff members with dogs, and a lawn lined with palm trees. Interrupted by scattered journalists.
A similar scene unfolded near Mr. Combs' home in Los Angeles, where by late afternoon dozens of people, many of them journalists, were unable to cross yellow warning tape strung up on South Mapleton Drive. , wandered around the lively neighborhood of Holmby Hills.
Several Los Angeles police officers blocked the road leading to Combs' property. Passersby showed interest, with drivers of luxury sport utility vehicles slowing down to take pictures of the scrum.
Just one mile east of the University of California, Los Angeles, this neighborhood is used to being in the spotlight. It has a long list of celebrity residents, and is where Hugh Hefner once held lavish parties at his Playboy mansion, and where Michael Jackson lived at the chateau shortly before his death. Most properties are surrounded by gates and stone walls covered with greenery or vines, providing pillars of privacy for a community known for its exclusivity.
Hamed Areaziz Contributed reporting from Washington, DC. Chelsea Rose Marcius From New York corina knoll from Los Angeles and Veronica Zaragovia Originally from Miami.
