Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday night by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Park Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
The arrest followed a sealed indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Combs, who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Love, and Brother Love, the 54-year-old hip-hop icon and entrepreneur, will spend the night in federal custody before being arraigned on Tuesday. The charges against him remain sealed, but sources close to the investigation confirm that the arrest is linked to an ongoing federal investigation into sex trafficking, which has been active for more than a year.
The investigation gained grounds after Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against him in November 2023, alleging sexual abuse and coercion. Since then, at least ten additional lawsuits have been filed, accusing Combs of various forms of abuse and misconduct. In March 2024, federal agents raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami, seizing multiple electronic devices. These searches were part of what authorities described as an “ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking.
At the time, an HSI spokesperson confirmed the raids but provided few details: “The searches were conducted as part of an ongoing investigation.”
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, expressed frustration over the arrest, calling the charges “an unjust prosecution.”
“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,” Agnifilo said in a statement late Monday.
“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.”
Agnifilo added, “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.”
The investigation has drawn significant public attention, particularly following a string of lawsuits and allegations, including one from a woman who accused Combs of raping her when she was underage.
Another lawsuit, filed in February 2024 by former music producer Rodney Jones Jr., alleged that Combs made unwanted sexual advances and attempted to groom him into performing sexual acts with others. Combs has denied all the accusations, and his legal team has labeled the lawsuits a “money grab.”
In March, after the raids on his properties, federal agents reportedly intercepted Combs at a Miami airport, preventing him from leaving the country. During the encounter, authorities confiscated electronic devices for further examination.
Many of these lawsuits were filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for survivors of sexual abuse to bring forth claims, regardless of how long ago the incidents occurred. Combs’ legal troubles escalated when video footage emerged in May 2024, appearing to show him physically attacking Cassie Ventura—an episode she detailed in her lawsuit.
Despite the mounting legal issues, he maintains his innocence, with Agnifilo reiterating on Monday that Combs is prepared to fight the charges in court.
