An eleventh accuser comes forward as the rap mogul awaits trial

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently in federal custody awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

His arrest in New York came as part of a series of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, some dating back to the 1990s.

More than a dozen people have filed lawsuits against the rapper, accusing him of using his influence in the entertainment industry for everything from drug taking to assault and rape.

Recent lawsuits include one from a then-16-year-old man who said the rapper told him to take off his clothes at a party in New York in 1998, and another from a woman who claims Mr. Combs had her as “Revenge Rape” a comment she made suggested that he was responsible for the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.

The Harlem-born rapper has denied any criminal wrongdoing.

Combs, 54, was arrested at a New York hotel on Monday, September 16, on charges of racketeering conspiracy, forcible sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

Federal prosecutors I accused him of “founding a criminal enterprise” in which he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his behavior.”

They said Combs used drugs, violence and the power of his status to lure “female victims” into extended sexual acts called “freak offs.”

They also disclosed that they discovered firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March.

Prosecutors have reportedly contacted several witnesses who worked for Combs and some of the accusers currently suing him, leaving open the possibility of further charges.

The singer and producer pleaded not guilty to the three offenses charged against him and his lawyer told reporters he was a “fighter” who was “not afraid of the charges.”

Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal prison notorious for violence and poor inmate care.

The MDC has an extra-security area with barracks-style accommodation reserved for special inmates, and US media reports that Combs shares the space with convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

His legal team sought his release pending trial because of the “horrific” conditions at the prison, but prosecutors argued he posed a “serious flight risk” and Combs was denied bail twice.

If convicted, he could face prison sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison.

Combs’ former on-and-off girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, was the first to denounce the self-proclaimed “bad boy for life.”

In a lawsuit filed last November, the model and musician claimed he “trapped” her in a “cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking” for over a decade.

Combs “vehemently” denied the claims. A day after the lawsuit ended up in court, both parties said they had settled the case “amicably,” although Combs’ attorney said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”

But in May, CNN obtained surveillance footage that showed the entertainer and entrepreneur attacking Ms. Ventura during a 2016 altercation that is detailed in her lawsuit.

Combs finally admitted to the incident in an Instagram video two days later, saying he was “disgusted” by what he did.

“My behavior in this video is inexcusable. “I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said.

At least ten other people – including one man – have since come forward with their own claims.

Joi Dickerson Nealwho said Ms. Ventura inspired her to speak out, alleged that Combs “intentionally drugged” and raped her in 1991 when she was a student at Syracuse University and made her a victim of revenge porn by carrying out the attack I filmed it and showed it to others.

Representatives for Combs called the lawsuit a “pure money grab” and called for it to be dismissed.

Liza Gardner accused Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall of plying her with drinks when she was 16 and then forcing her to have sex with them against her will. She also claimed that Combs visited her at home the next day and choked her until she passed out. Combs’ attorney called the claims “false.”

The initial three lawsuits were filed under New York State’s Adult Survivors Act, which gave adult victims a one-year window to file claims against their abusers, regardless of the statute of limitations.

A woman who has only been identified as Jane Doe claimed that Combs, former Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre, and a third person forcibly raped her in a New York studio when she was a 17-year-old high school student.

A few days later, Combs broke his social media silence against “disgusting accusations…from individuals looking for a quick payday.” His lawyers want to dismiss the case as “baseless and time-barred.” Mr. Pierre has since described the lawsuit as a “fictional story.”

Rodney “Lil Rod” JonesA producer and videographer who worked on Combs’ latest album accused the mogul of running an illegal racketeering enterprise in which he was forced to obtain drugs, recruit sex workers and record sex acts. He also claimed Combs and actor Cuba Gooding Jr. groped him without consent.

Grace O’Marcaighwho was working on a yacht leased by the Combs family in 2022, accused the rapper and his son, Christian “King” Combs, of sexual assault. She accused them of creating an “environment of debauchery” with suspected sex workers and top celebrities on board.

Crystal McKinney claimed she was drugged and sexually abused by Combs after a Men’s Fashion Week event in 2003 when she was 22. She also said he subsequently “displaced” her in the modeling world.

April Lamproswho says she met Combs as a student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in 1994, detailed “four horrific sexual encounters” in the early 2000s.

Adriatic EnglishA former adult film actress who worked with Combs in the 2000s said he used her as a “sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial gain of others” during the “white parties” he hosted at his homes in New York and Miami. used.

Dawn Richardswho once sang in two groups assembled by Combs, including Danity Kane, said she personally witnessed his violence against Ms. Ventura and that he threatened her life when she tried to intervene.

Thalia Tombswho is supported by prominent attorney Gloria Allred, claimed Combs and his bodyguard Joseph Sherman sedated, subdued and tied her up before recording themselves raping her and later distributing the sex tape.

Six anonymous accusers: Six lawsuits were filed on October 14 by four men and two women. One of the women accused Mr. Combs of raping her in a hotel, and another lawsuit accused the rapper of ordering a 16-year-old boy to take off his clothes when the teenager was talking to him about entering the music industry.

Ashley Parham filed a lawsuit on Oct. 15, alleging that Mr. Combs raped her as “revenge” for a comment she made suggesting he was responsible for the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur’s murder was never solved, but a man currently on trial for his murder has previously claimed that Mr. Combs paid for his murder.

Mr. Combs’ legal team has dismissed the flood of lawsuits as “clear attempts at publicity.”

“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defense and the integrity of the judicial process,” his lawyers said in a statement, adding: “Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone – adult, minor, male.” or woman.”