A grand jury in New York City, the hometown of Sean “Diddy” Combs, is gathering evidence on sex trafficking and sexual assault to potentially bring a case against the famous artist and music mogul. NBC News reported that Diddy’s legal team was informed by federal authorities in the Southern District of New York that he is under an ongoing criminal investigation, although he has not been arrested or charged with a crime despite the numerous allegations made against him in the past eight months. The investigation could lead to prosecutors seeking an indictment against him.
The accusations against Diddy began piling up in November when his ex-girlfriend, singer, and model Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, sued him for rape, sex trafficking, and abuse. The case was settled less than 24 hours later, but more lawsuits followed from other women, including a former adult film actress and a producer who worked on Diddy’s album, The Love Album. Diddy’s spokesperson, Davis, stated that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone and believes he will prevail against these baseless claims in court.
Diddy has denied all the claims, though he backtracked in the case of Ventura after a 2016 video surfaced showing him assaulting her in a hotel hallway. In a since-deleted apology video, Diddy expressed disgust at his behavior and took full responsibility for his actions.