US Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Charged With Racketeering, Sex Trafficking

Sean “Diddy” Combs used his fame as one of the biggest names in hip-hop to coerce women into engaging in demeaning sex acts as part of a decades-long scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a three-count federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

Starting in 2009, Combs used his vast media empire including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment to transport women, as well as male sex workers, across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called “Freak Offs” in which the music mogul would watch and masturbate, prosecutors said.

The 54-year-old rapper and producer was arrested in Manhattan on Monday night and is expected to appear in court before US Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky at 2:30 pm EDT (1830 GMT) on Tuesday. Combs could face decades in prison if convicted of the three felony counts he faces: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.