Federal agents swarmed the Miami Beach mansion of hip-hop heavyweight Diddy yesterday, as a frenzied raid tied to a sex trafficking investigation extended into the night according to a Miami Herald report. The raid, led by Homeland Security and emanating from the Southern District of New York, also targeted Diddy's Los Angeles properties, officials with knowledge of the multi-state operation confirmed to NBC News.
Aerial footage captured agents navigating the $30-million Star Island estate as they hauled away laptops, boxes, along with potential evidence in brown paper bags, the luxurious backdrop to an investigation involving weighty allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, distribution of illegal substances and guns. Facing several sexual assault lawsuits in recent months Diddy, real Sean Combs, finds his legal troubles deepening, the rapper was in Miami during the bust, slated to take off for the Bahamas agents also seized his phones but it remains unclear the full scope of their interaction.
Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst, noted to NBC News the raids' swift execution "suggests that agents were concerned that they needed to secure evidence quickly and prevent anyone from destroying evidence before they got there." A music producer has accused Combs of forcing him to solicit prostitutes, an allegation Combs' attorney Shawn Holley shredded as "complete lies," bolstered by "overwhelming, indisputable proof." Meanwhile, R&B artist Cassie, a former protégée and girlfriend, settled a lawsuit a day after filing it, alleging years of sexual abuse by Combs, including coercing her into sex with men as he was filming, Combs, for his part has denied these harrowing accusations stating back in November, "I did not do any of the awful things being alleged."
The influence of Combs in the rap industry spans over three decades, earlier known as Puff Daddy he crafted a hip-hop empire being the mind behind Bad Boy Records and working with notables such as Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Faith Evans, his reach extends beyond music with ventures like Sean John clothing line, the Revolt TV channel and the MTV reality hit "Making the Band." Diddy, however, has yet to comment on the unfolding raids and the allegations at the center of the federal probe.
