Federal prosecutors in New York have broadened their case against Sean "Diddy" Combs, adding two new charges related to sex trafficking. The updated indictment suggests the hip-hop mogul was involved in these activities as recently as last year.
The superseding indictment, filed this Friday, accuses Combs of using force, fraud, and coercion to compel a woman into commercial sex acts between 2021 and 2024.
According to the indictment, which was issued by a grand jury in Manhattan, Combs allegedly transported a woman, identified as Victim-2, along with other individuals, including commercial sex workers, for the purpose of prostitution during the same period.
These latest charges are in addition to the initial charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking filed against Combs following his arrest in September. The new charges bring the total against him to five.
Combs, 55, is scheduled to go to trial on May 5 and is currently held in a Brooklyn federal jail. Representatives for Combs have been contacted for comment regarding the new charges.
Combs has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to the original charges, which accuse him of coercing and abusing women over several years with the help of associates and employees. It's alleged that he silenced victims through blackmail, violence, kidnapping, arson, and physical assault.
A date for Combs' arraignment on the new charges has not yet been set.
Prosecutors claim that the artist behind "I'll Be Missing You," also the founder of Bad Boy Records, exploited his influence as a music star to manipulate female victims into participating in drug-fueled, elaborately staged sexual performances, featuring male sex workers, in events referred to as "Freak Offs."
Key evidence in the case is a video from March 2016 showing Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors assert that the assault occurred during a "Freak Off." Combs' legal team claims the footage only shows a “glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship.”
Combs' attorneys argue that the case should not have been brought and are seeking to dismiss a charge related to the alleged transportation of a male escort across state lines.
In a February court document, Combs' lawyer, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, stated that the government's case is primarily based on the allegation that Combs and two of his former girlfriends sometimes involved a third party, namely a male escort, in their sexual relationship.
Shapiro also contended that the three charges in the case are based on the premise that this type of sexual activity constitutes a federal crime.
This superseding indictment is the second one filed in Combs' case.
The initial indictment, in January, revealed prosecutors' claim that at least three women were forced by Combs to engage in commercial sex acts, in return for money, career advancement, and the payment of rent and housing costs.