(Image via nytimes.com )
Staff Writer: Olivia Beaudette
Email: obeaudette@umassd.edu
Sean Combs, aka “P-Diddy,” “Puff Daddy,” or “Diddy,” has recently had two of his properties (one in LA and one in Miami) raided on March 25. This raid was part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
This investigation also includes allegations of sexual assault, solicitation, and distribution of illegal drugs and firearms.
Who is P-Diddy?
P-Diddy is considered one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the last three decades. He built one of the biggest empires in hip-hop. He is also the founder of Bad Boy Records.
He has worked with top-tier artists, including Notorious BIG, Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, and Mariah Carey.
In total, he has been nominated for 14 Grammys and won three, including his nomination in 2023 for his release. However, he did not attend the Grammy Award Ceremony this year due to the recent issues around him.
What is he in trouble for?
P-Diddy was raided on March 25 as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. However, this is not the first time he has been caught in trouble. He has already faced several lawsuits that accuse him of sexual misconduct and other crimes.
The first lawsuit against P-Diddy was by his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie (Casandra Ventura). Cassie sued P-Diddy in November 2023; she claims that over ten years, she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs, and beaten.
This lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed.
The subsequent lawsuit was also in November 2023 by Joie Dickerson. She claimed that P-Diddy drugged her and sexually assaulted her while she was a student at Syracuse University in January 1991.
She also claims that he filmed the assault.
Another accusation was claimed in November 2023, but this time by an anonymous accuser. This person accused P-Diddy and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall of raping her and her friend.
The accusations don’t stop there.
In December 2023, another woman accused him of “gang rape” after she had been plied with drugs and alcohol at age 17.
He has denied all of these allegations. In December, he described the claims as “sickening” and said the people accusing him were “looking for a quick payday.” He also said, “Let me be absolutely clear. I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and for the truth.”
A spokesperson called these claims “purely a money grab and nothing more.”
The most recent accusation was in February 2024, when music producer Lil Rod (Rodney Jones) accused P-Diddy of forcing him to solicit prostitutes and forced him to have sex with them.
This lawsuit also claims that P-Diddy would regularly host “sex trafficking parties,” which involved underage women and illegal drugs.
Where is P-Diddy now?
Since all of these allegations have come to light, the most recent event has been the raiding of P-Diddy’s properties.
After his house was raided, it was reported that he flew his private jet from California to Antigua in the Caribbean on March 25.
NBC News also reported that multiple phones were seized from P-Diddy before he departed on a trip to the Bahamas.
Since all these allegations, P-Diddy has also stepped down as chairman of his cable television network Revolt last year.
As of now, P-Diddy is in the Caribbean and avoiding all of the allegations and drama surrounding him. He has also been dropped or decided to leave many companies since these allegations have all come to light.