Sean Combs has gone by many names — Puff, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and most recently Brother Love. He went from being a lowly intern at Uptown Records in the early 1990s to running one of the most successful record labels by the early 2000s. No matter what he touched—music, fashion, media, and business, it turned gold. However, there could be a new name coming soon: federal inmate. Since November 2023, the now-disgraced mogul has been named in over ten lawsuits, all of which allege sexual assault, coercion, and copious amounts of drug use. In September, Combs was indicted by a grand jury and later arrested.
November 2023:
Cassie Ventura Files Explosive Lawsuit
On Nov.15, 2023, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed an explosive lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of egregious actions such as rape and repeated physical abuse. According to The New York Times, the lawsuit includes other accusations, like prostitution, copious amounts of drug use, voyeurism, and more. Cassie told the Times “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.”
The suit would be settled only one day later, however, it would not be the last. Two more women, Joi Dickerson-Neal and Liza Gardner, came forward and accused the media mogul of similar crimes. Dickerson-Neal, Gardner, and Ventura had filed their suits under the now-expired
New York City Adult Survivors Act.
December 2023:
Diddy’s Accusers Continue To Pile Up
By December, the Bad Boy CEO had racked up nearly four lawsuits — including one from a Jane Doe, claiming she was gang-raped by Combs and Harve Pierre in 2001. Pierre had been the former president of Bad Boy Records. Per the suit, the unidentified woman would have been around 17 years old. Following the growing allegations, Diddy shared a post on social media accusing the alleged victims of looking for a “quick pay-day.”
“Enough is enough,” Combs wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. 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.”
February 2024:
Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Accused Diddy And Accomplices Of ‘Illegal Activity’
In February 2024, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who worked with Diddy on his Love album, went public with his story in a federal lawsuit. Jones claimed to have hours of footage because Combs required him to record constantly. The footage allegedly shows Combs and his staff engaging in illegal acts. Jones claims he was pressured to participate in sexual activities and procure sex workers for Diddy. He also believes that Combs was attempting to groom him into a sexual relationship.
Lil Rod also claims that he, along with another man, Brendan Paul would travel to procure drugs and carry firearms on Combs’ behalf. Paul was arrested in May, and would later plead guilty to drug charges.
March 2024:
Combs’ Miami And Los Angeles Homes Raided By The Feds
With allegations continuing to pile up, it becomes apparent that attorneys weren’t the only ones eyeing Combs. Federal agents raided his Miami and Los Angeles homes on March 25. At the time, sources close to the situation told NBC News, only revealed that several firearms were recovered. Two of his eldest children, Christian and Justin, who were present at his Los Angeles property, were detained as federal agents executed their search. Amid the raid, Diddy was on his way to the Bahamas and was stopped at a Miami airport. Police officials reportedly seized his cell phones.
Following the raids, Aaron Dyer one of Combs’ attorneys, issued a statement. He claims his client [Combs] “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.” Dyer described the raid as an ambush, based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.” He added, “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
April 2024:
Investigators Begins Diddy Probe On Sex Trafficking Allegations
A sex trafficking investigation was launched after federal authorities raided Diddy’s properties and seized surveillance footage, electronic devices, thumb drives, and more. Cassie Ventura was one of several individuals cooperating with federal investigators on April 4. Diddy’s attorneys told the press at the time that he was complicit in all of the investigators’ requests.
May 2024:
The Footage Of Diddy Assaulting Cassie At Intercontinental Hotel Surface
A video from 2016 of Diddy chasing ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and assaulting her was released by CNN on May 17. Before it surfaced, the mogul had denied ever assaulting the singer despite a settled lawsuit claiming serial abuse. An apology video would be released immediately by Diddy, who said he was in a very dark place at the time and had received professional help since then.
Due to the statute of limitation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided not to press charges against Diddy despite the public outrage. Following that, Crystal McKinney, a model who claimed she was drugged and assaulted in 1998, filed another sexual assault lawsuit against the mogul.
The city of New York would request the return of Diddy’s honored key to the city after the assault video surfaced. Diddy obliged, returned the key to the Mayor’s office, and issued a statement.
A Rolling Stone exposé released on May 28, which included dozens of former employees, friends, and artists, detailed years of abuse both physically and mentally.
June 2024:
The fallout of Diddy’s expose led to brands ending relationships with the mogul. On June 6, Howard University, Diddy’s alma mater, will retract its honorary degree. Amid the conversely, Diddy would be spotted in L.A., Miami, and Harlem.
July 2024:
On July 5, Diddy would be named in a sex trafficking lawsuit including famous jeweler Jacob The Jeweler and media giant Penske Media. Then, Diddy would be accused of targeting the victim of his infamous 1999 nightclub shooting. Later, former Vibe Magazine Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith claimed the mogul threatened her life over a 1997 magazine cover in an essay.
Meanwhile, Diddy’s name would surface in the newly developed Tupac Murder case.
August 2024:
Following the sexual assault allegations made against the music mogul, his girlfriend at the time, Yung Miami spoke out about their relationship.
During a previous episode of Caresha Please, when asked why she didn’t speak out about the allegations, Miami explains, “I can’t speak on something that wasn’t my experience, and I can’t speak on something that I don’t know. I can’t speak on these allegations because I wasn’t around at the time,” she said. “I don’t know that person, and that wasn’t my experience.”
She continued: “People feel like I was Diddy’s biggest cheerleader and I made him my brand. And I feel like Diddy was on brand for me,” she said. “I met him when he was in another era. I met Diddy when the world was celebrating him and giving him his flowers when he was alive. He was getting the (2023 MTV VMAs) Global Icon Award, the (2022 BET Awards) lifetime achievement award, the key to the city.”
“He had a new album that was coming out, so I was celebrating him with the world. And I just feel like everybody’s trying to crucify me for it,” Yung Miami continued. “I was just celebrating when the world was celebrating him, so why am I being crucified, or why am I being separated?”
While speaking on their relationship, Miami says Diddy was a good person to have by her side. “It really hurt me because I just feel like Puff was a really, really good person to me. I feel like he came and he helped me; he elevated me,” she said, reflecting on their relationship. “He saw a lot of things in me, and I feel like that’s one of his specialties, like, he knows how to find people and identify their talent. He was able to see more than music in me.”
September 2024:
Diddy was accused of sexual assault by Danity Kane member Dawn Richard.
In a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Richard claims Diddy was physically and sexually abusive to her throughout her time working for him.
Richard says she began to notice Diddy’s behavior when she auditioned for his 2004 reality series Making The Band. She says Diddy referred to the women as “fat,” “ugly,” “b**ches” and “h*es” during auditions.
Diddy’s arrest:
After that allegation, Diddy was arrested. He was taken into federal custody in New York. According to TMZ, Homeland Security found Diddy at a Midtown hotel. He was arrested him for racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Both of Diddy’s attempts at bail were denied.
Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, tells TMZ, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sean “Diddy” Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community.”
He adds: “He is an imperfect person but is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
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