Rapper P Diddy, whose real name is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, had two of his properties raided yesterday (Monday 25 March) as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.
Federal agents searched his houses in Miami and Los Angeles, with Homeland Security Investigations saying it ‘executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners’.
According to reports, Combs, 54, was in the Miami area when the raids took place, where officials were able to seize phones from him before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas.
A source also told NBC News that three women and a man have been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
P Diddy has been at the heart of several lawsuits of late. As well as his ex-girlfriend, rapper Cassie, suing him in November alleging, among other crimes, that he raped her and beat her for a 10-year-period, he has also been accused of: drugging and sexually assaulting a student in 1991, ‘gang-raping’ a woman two decades ago after plying her with drugs and alcohol, and coercing a music producer to solicit prostitutes and then pressuring him to have sex with them.
After calling the claims ‘sickening’ and saying his accusers were ‘looking for a quick pay day’, Combs said in December: ‘I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.’
The raid: Where is P Diddy now?
Whether Combs was onboard himself is unknown, but TMZ tracked his private LoveAir LLC jet and pinned its location as touched down in Antigua. The publication also shared footage of the musician pacing outside of Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport just hours after the raids. He was allegedly questioned by federal agents there, but it has been reported that Combs is neither under arrest nor on the run.
There has been no legitimate confirmation of P Diddy’s whereabouts, but there was also growing speculation that he had flown to Cape Verde after the raids. This rumour was largely quelled after TMZ tracked his private jet.
Where are P Diddy’s houses?
P Diddy owns a $40 million mansion in the affluent neighbourhood of Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, as well as a $35 million pad on Miami Beach’s exclusive Star Island.
Agents were captured emerging from the respective properties with paper bags and boxes.
How does P Diddy know Prince Harry?
Prince Harry is named in 73-page US court documents related to a $30 million lawsuit claiming that Combs is a sexual abuser of men and women. The paperwork does not suggest any wrongdoing from The Duke of Sussex.
Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones, a record producer, filed the bombshell lawsuit against Diddy and claims that his 'affiliation' to Prince Harry and other high-profile names gave him and his associates 'legitimacy'.
Both Prince Harry and Prince William crossed paths with P Diddy and Kanye West at an after-party to thank those who took part in the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in 2007, an event the princes arranged. The heir to the throne is not named in the court documents and is not known how many times Harry has met the rapper since then.
Who are P Diddy’s children?
P Diddy is father to:
His ex Kim Porter’s son Quincy Brown, 32, whom he adopted.
Son Justin Dior, 30, with designer and stylist Misa Hylton.
Son Christian Combs, 26, with late model and actress Kim.
Daughter Chance Coombs, 17, with Sarah Chapman.
Twin daughters Jessie James and D'Lila, 17, with Kim.
Daughter Love, 15 months, with Dana Tran.
Who is Kim Porter?
Kim Porter was a model and actress who dated Diddy between 1993 and 2006. The couple shared four children together, stepson Quincy, son Christian and twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie.
Kim passed away on 15 November 2018 when she was just 47 years old after contracting a form of pneumonia. In a 2019 interview with Essence magazine, Diddy said his world was turned 'upside down' after her death and revealed she told him she wasn't feeling well three days before she passed away.
'She had the flu, and she sent the kids over to my house so they wouldn't get sick. One night I was checking on her, and she was like, "Puffy, take care of my babies,"' he said at the time. 'She actually said that to me before she died.'
What happened with P Diddy and Cassie?
In November, P Diddy was accused of rape and repeated physical abuse by his ex-partner, R&B singer Cassie. In a lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Thursday 16 November, Cassie, whose full name is Cassandra Ventura, alleges that over the course of their relationship, Diddy assaulted her multiple times – beating and raping her – and controlled all aspects of her life.
A representative for Diddy denied the claims, writing that the allegations were 'offensive and outrageous' and came after Ventura demanded $30m from him.
The suit was settled a day after it was filed, with Ventura saying: ‘I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.’
Cassie and Diddy dated on and off for ten years, ending their relationship in 2018. Cassie is now married to Alex Fine, a fitness trainer from Ohio.
What were Cassie's allegations against P Diddy?
In a lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Thursday 16 November, Cassie alleged that she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs, and beaten by Combs over the course of their ten-year relationship. According to the complaint, Diddy ‘plied the vulnerable Ms Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life.’
The lawsuit also claimed that Combs forced his way into her home and raped her as their relationship was ending in 2018. The lawsuit labelled Diddy a 'serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ms Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood.’
In a statement, Cassie said, ‘After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,’ continuing ‘With the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.’
In a statement, a lawyer for the rapper said he ‘vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.’ They added ‘Ms Ventura's demand of $30m (£24m), under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr Combs' reputation, and seeking a pay day.’
When were Cassie and P Diddy together?
Cassie and Sean, also known as ‘Diddy’, first met in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37, after she signed to Diddy's label_, Bad Boy imprint_. The two were romantically linked for the first time in 2007, and their relationship began after Diddy split from Kim Porter.
In 2016, their relationship made headlines after they had a heated argument in the car. However, Us Weekly exclusively confirmed at the time that they were still together, and the altercation was just an argument.
In 2018, news broke that the couple had split after a decade of their on-and-off relationship. 'They are indeed no longer together and haven’t been for months,' a representative for Cassie said in a statement to LoveBScott at the time.
Cassie is currently married to Alex Fine, a fitness trainer from Ohio. The couple met in a gym in 2018 and Alex proposed to Cassie after eight months of dating. 'When he got down on one knee, everything just stopped,’ she told Vogue. ‘I felt like I lost my sense of hearing. I saw just his mouth moving and he said, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I will never forget how special Alex made me feel that night.’
Earlier this year, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Yung Miami revealed they had split after a year of dating. ‘We’re still friends! We’re still good friends! But we’re single. That’s not my man. We had our own situation, I’m not gonna put a title on it,' she said.
What is the age difference between Cassie and Diddy?
Cassie and Diddy met when she was 19 and he was 37. There is an 18-year age difference between them. Cassie is now 37 and Diddy is 54.
How has Kid Cudi responded to the car explosion allegation?
In one incident detailed in the lawsuit, Cassie claimed that Diddy was upset about her dating fellow rapper Kid Cudi that he warned her around the time of Paris Fashion Week in 2012 that he would ‘blow up’ Cudi’s car. ‘Around that time,’ the suit says, ‘Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.’
Kid Cudi confirmed Cassie’s account via a spokeswoman, according to _The New York Time_s, saying ‘This is all true.’
P Diddy has denied these allegations.