Rapper Diddy’s homes raided ‘as part of sex trafficking investigation’
TWO homes owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs have been searched by federal agents as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation, according to reports.
The rapper’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided. The 54-year-old was not at either house during the searches and was later spotted at an airport in Miami. His personal LoveAir LLC Gulfstream 5 jet has been tracked to Antigua, but he is not believed to have been on board.
The Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York said it had “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation”, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles and HSI Miami.
The news agency Associated Press reported it was part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York. There have been several sexual assault lawsuits filed against Combs in recent months.
His attorneys have previously denied all of the allegations made against him.
One of the raids took place in Combs’s 17,000 square foot mansion in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Holmby Hills, which is home to many celebrities and the Playboy Mansion.
The second was carried out at the rapper’s property on the exclusive Star Island in Miami Beach. Agents were filmed walking out of the $30 million (£23.7 million) Los Angeles mansion carrying boxes and laptops.
Legal analyst Danny Cevallos told NBC News: “The speed at which it appears these raids were conducted suggests that agents were concerned that they needed to secure evidence quickly and prevent anyone from destroying evidence.” Combs’s former protégé and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The suit was settled the day after it was filed. He has not commented on the raids but said previously: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.” Formerly known as Puff Daddy, Combs is the founder of Bad Boy Records and has worked with artists including The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J Blige and Usher.