Diddy subject of witch hunt: Lawyer
A lawyer for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs said on Tuesday the rapper was being targeted by a “witch hunt” after civil lawsuits accused him of sexual misconduct and federal authorities raided two of his properties.
On Monday, the United States Department of Homeland Security said it had opened an investigation into hip-hop star Combs and searched his homes in the Miami area and in Los Angeles.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, called the raids “a gross overuse of military-level force”.
Local television images on Monday showed an armoured vehicle and officers carrying rifles outside Combs’ Los Angeles home. Two of his sons were detained at the scene of the Holmby Hills, California, home while the warrant was executed, but released without charges.
Combs co-operated with authorities, Dyer said, and neither he nor any family members have been arrested or had their travel restricted.
“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” Dyer added.
The Homeland Security department has not said what it is investigating with regard to Combs and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Dyer’s remarks.
The agency has broad jurisdiction to probe the illegal movement of people, goods, money, technology and contraband into, out of and throughout the US, including sex trafficking.
In a civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan in mid-november, R&B vocalist Cassandra Ventura accused Combs of subjecting her to physical abuse, sexual slavery and rape during a 10-year professional and romantic relationship.
The lawsuit cited violations of sex trafficking and human trafficking statutes. Ventura and Combs, who has used such monikers as P Diddy, Puff Daddy and Diddy, settled the case under confidential terms. Representatives for Combs said at the time the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing”.
The lawsuit was one of at least four civil complaints in recent months levelling sexual assault allegations against Combs.
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” Dyer said on Tuesday.
“Mr Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
Meanwhile, sources told Page Six that Combs was planning to fly to the Bahamas to spend time with his 17-year-old twins, Jessie and D'lila, when the agents swooped in on his properties.
They gathered evidence including a “number of” electronic devices, ABC News reports. Flight data shows the rapper took off from the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles at 9am on Monday.
He was then spotted around 3pm at the Miami-opa Locka Executive Airport, just a few hours after the raids started.
However, information on the rapper's personal Loveair LL C Gulfstream 5 jet is no longer available on plane tracker service.
Diddy was last seen pacing around the customs office at the Miami airport, though he was not being detained in any fashion.
Combs, founder of the landmark label Bad Boy Records, is one of the most influential producers and executives in hip-hop and a hugely successful performer, as well as the impresario of his own Sean John clothing line. — Reuters/mail Online.