A look at the sex trafficking investigations surrounding music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Amna Nawaz:

Just last week, federal agents rated two homes of rapper and music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs is the subject of a federal investigation and already facing a series of civil lawsuits from several women and at least one man, alleging he either assaulted, abused or trafficked them.

Some of the accusations date back at least 30 years, and Combs has denied all allegations.

For the latest now, I'm joined by Sidney Madden, music reporter for NPR and co-host of its podcast "Louder Than a Riot."

So, Sidney, let's begin with those raids by federal investigators. What do we know about why they went in and what they found?

Sidney Madden, NPR Music:

Well, it's not exactly clear what the charges are that prompted these raids, although we do know that, in the civil suits that were recently filed against him dating back last year that date back decades, there have been many allegations of sex trafficking in the midst of those civil suits, and that Homeland Security and federal agents do investigate those charges criminally.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Sidney, remind us as well. Now, there was a late 2023 lawsuit by Mr. Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura that really opened the door for these other lawsuits to follow.

What was so damning in that original lawsuit that prompted this cascade of lawsuits we have seen since?

Sidney Madden:

Cassie Ventura's original lawsuit, it really did open the floodgates, as you said, because it detailed almost two decades of hidden coercion, abuse, assault, even rape.

And it was kind of the dark side of their very public relationship and their working relationship in the music industry that dates back to the early 2000s.

Amna Nawaz:

And when we talk about these other lawsuits, how many more are we talking about? And are the allegations consistent across all of those cases?

Sidney Madden:

So, as of this date, there have been five civil suits filed against Diddy.

And the latest one, again, as of this date, is filed by Lil Rod, AKA Rodney Jones, who is a music producer who worked for Diddy between 2022 and 2023. And Jones is the same behaviors and indiscretions that have been that Cassie and other people have claimed that the music mogul was doing all of this time, things like using people on his staff for drug mules, things like pushing drugs onto multiple people on his team, pushing people onto his team.

Lil Rod accuses Diddy of groping him, accuses Diddy of having people on his staff proposition and sexually assault him, and he's accusing him of propositioning sex workers all throughout the United States to come to Diddy and have alleged freak-offs.

Amna Nawaz:

As we mentioned, Sean Combs denies all of the allegations.

Have we seen any kind of a public response from him, though, online or in any other form to these accusations?

Sidney Madden:

It's been a lot of sidestepping, I would say, publicly from Diddy.

He broke his silence on social media recently by posting a lot of his children for Easter Sunday. He's been very jovial, I would say, publicly-facing, but Diddy's legal team says they vehemently deny all of these claims and that the Homeland Security raids specifically were a gross misuse of military-level force.

Amna Nawaz:

Sidney, I think it's fair to say it doesn't get bigger than Diddy in the music world. He works in — moves in rarefied circles of entertainment and celebrity.

Have any of these allegations had an impact on those relationships, business or personal?

Sidney Madden:

Definitely.

I mean, the fallout from these allegations so far has definitely been a blow to Diddy's business and his public reputation. So, since these allegations started to come out, he has stepped down as chairman of Revolt TV, Revolt Entertainment, his news media channel. He's also sold off all of his shares of that.

And he's parted ways with the liquor company that used to distribute a lot of his name-brand liquors and collaborations. And there have been a lot of people in the hip-hop space who have kind of just used this as a moment to say that all of these indiscretions that he's being accused of are open secrets that have been proliferated in the music industry over the years.

But what that fails to interrogate is how they have been able to operate as open secrets without anybody calling him out, for fear of losing their proximity, their business, their just access to his celebrity.

Amna Nawaz:

What about that allegation of this being an open secret for so long?

I mean, when you and I spoke at the end of 2023 after the Ventura lawsuit, we talked about whether this was some larger moment of reckoning in the industry. And back then, you said it was too early to tell. But what do you make of that now?

Sidney Madden:

Now, I would say, I think, as more time has passed and more suits have been carried out, there are many more people in positions of power who are publicly distancing themselves from him.

And in the hip-hop space, it's about money, power and respect. I would definitely say the fallout is happening.

Amna Nawaz:

That is Sidney Madden, music reporter for NPR and co-host of the podcast "Louder Than a Riot."

Sidney, thank you.

Sidney Madden:

Thank you.