On Monday, Sept. 16, Sean John Combs, 54, publicly known as “P. Diddy” or “Puff Daddy,” was arrested  at 8:30 pm in New York City where he was staying in a hotel in Manhattan. Combs was arrested for racketeering conspiracy (committing illegal activity to collect a profit), sex trafficking, and transportation for usage of prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges on Tuesday, Sept. 17, but was granted no bail. 

Throughout Combs’s music career as an American rapper and record producer, he had major collaborations with big artists such as The Notorious B.I.G, Jay- Z and R. Kelly. In 2013, Combs founded an operating business named “Combs Global.” It was stationed in Manhattan and Los Angeles, and consisted of partnerships with Bad Boy Entertainment. They worked with record labels, apparel lines, alcoholic spirit businesses, marketing agencies, and media companies. The goal of his brand was to promote, protect, and enhance the power and reputation of artists who collaborated with him. 

Individuals who worked for Combs were forced to engage in sex trafficking, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and prostitution, with some acts even occurring under the influence of narcotics. If employees or friends did not comply, Combs would frequently threaten to cut them off financially and make their life a  “living hell” through violent acts in which he would strike, punch, drag, and kick individuals around his headquarters. In March of 2016, a video surfaced the internet of Combs throwing a vase at a woman who attempted to leave one of his “Freak Off” parties. The victim then filed a lawsuit against Combs and others came forward to sue him afterwards.

 From the year of 2008 and onward, Combs and his partners involved themselves in illegal activity such as kidnapping, arson and distributing not only narcotics but controlled substances such as cocaine, oxycodone, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, acid, and many others. While transporting these items, Combs also transported multiple female and male sex workers from different cities and countries and coerced them into prostitution for his “Freak Offs.” Combs’s “Freak Off” parties consisted of having multiple underage girls and boys under the influence who served as prostitutes and were forced into recording sexual acts. They were established as “toys” to anyone who attended the parties. Any person who attended Combs’s party was asked to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before entering the premises. Combs has been upheld with multiple sexual assault lawsuits throughout decades and has over a dozen lawsuits against him.

Justice finally took place when former girlfriend of 10 years and singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs for sexual and physical abuse last year on Nov. 16. Surveillance footage surfaced of Combs brutally kicking Ventura inside a hotel in 2016, which she then followed up by stating that she was forced to conduct sexual acts with male prostitutes at one of Combs’s “Freak Off” parties and was constantly drugged as well as abused throughout their 10 years together.  

 On March, 25. Combs’s residencies in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles were raided by law enforcement, where they found multiple supplies of narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil at Combs’s residence. It was later found that it was not ordinary baby oil, but a body paralyzer in which an individual’s body was made to be numb. As social media platforms continue to strike this topic with attention, it was revealed that Combs was not the only major celebrity involved in the illegal acts committed. Jay- Z, Usher, and Beyoncé were partners of Combs and attended and hosted almost every party, influencing other celebrities to tag along to the “Freak Offs” and videotape them. When this was revealed a list of all celebrities who had ever attended the “Freak Offs” was released. Celebrities such as basketball player Lebron James, singer Rihanna, music artist Playboi Carti, and media personality Oprah Winfrey were one of the top four social media shockers. Social media users were outraged by the information and have been doing everything in power to find proof and bring victims to justice.  

Combs is currently still on trial and is pleading not guilty with reason of insanity being that he “hit rock bottom” throughout the years. The judges, however, see Combs as a danger to the community and cannot be freed, which is the reason he will not be granted bail. As time goes on, the judges will decide whether Combs will be freed or not. As of right now, Jay- Z , Beyoncé, Usher and everyone else who attended or had involvement are currently not facing any legal trouble.