Sean "Diddy" Combs held without bail after arrest on sex trafficking indictment

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Geoff Bennett: Federal authorities are charging music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs with racketeering, violent abuse, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution in a sweeping federal indictment.

The details of that indictment were revealed this morning after Combs, who was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation and a pair of federal raids, was arrested in New York City last night. Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a press conference today said Combs used his extensive music and business empire as a criminal outfit.

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York: And the indictment alleges that he maintained control over the victims in several ways, including by giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts, and even by dictating their physical appearance.

Because of all of this, the indictment alleges that the victims did not believe they could refuse Combs without risking their security or facing more abuse.

Geoff Bennett: Combs pleaded not guilty in court today and has denied prior allegations. The federal judge ordered he be held without bail.

For more on the charges, we're joined by Sidney Madden, reporter for NPR Music.

So, Sidney, according to this 14-page indictment, authorities alleged that Sean Combs turned his business empire into a criminal enterprise in which he and his associates engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor and other crimes. Walk us through what he stands accused of.

Sidney Madden, NPR Music: Absolutely.

So, Combs is being indicted on three counts, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for prostitution, which basically just means transporting commercial sex workers across state lines.

Geoff Bennett: And critical to this indictment are the allegations of use of force and coercion, using guns, in some cases plying people with drugs. Help us understand that dynamic as laid out in this indictment.

Sidney Madden: Absolutely.

Well, there are a few key factors to this indictment, to this suit that makes it stand far and beyond, like, alone from all the others that he's been facing. The first is that all the other cases that he's been answering to in the last year, almost a year now, have been civil lawsuits. And this is the first criminal proceeding, criminal case.

And the second is that it is a RICO case. It really shows how this was a whole orchestrated effort, according to the allegations in the indictment.

He's really being accused of riling everyone around him, corralling them and directing them to do all of his bidding to do things like procure drugs, procure commercial sex workers, taking sex workers over state lines, paying off certain people, setting up sets for these things, these sexual performance parties called freak-offs, and absolutely coercing many people around him to take part in it, enable it or turn a blind eye in the midst of him harming many victims over the years.

Geoff Bennett: Well, remind us how we got to this point because this indictment paints Sean Combs as someone who is as dangerous as he is depraved. And just a year ago, he was standing in the middle of Times Square getting the ceremonial key to the city from the mayor of New York, Eric Adams.

Sidney Madden: Yes, this has been an absolute flip of the switch on Sean "Diddy" Combs career legacy, his entire persona, and his level of prominence in, let's say, the court of public opinion, because all of this really tipped off last November when Diddy's then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, released her civil suit that really opened the floodgates.

And she detailed allegations that went back decades, similar to this 14-page indictment, which started -- starts in about 2008. And one of the key accusations that Cassie makes is that Diddy forced her to take illicit drugs for years and participate in these freak-offs and do everything in his power to manipulate her life and livelihood just for the sake of his own abuse of power over that time.

So, even though Diddy has been fashioned as something of like Great Gatsby, someone who's made the career of so many greats in hip-hop and R&B, he's also been someone who's been positioned as a titan of industry and who will do anything to get the job done.

But now, with all of these lawsuits rolling out, people are starting to change their opinion on the dark underbelly and the abuse of power that it took to gain that reputation.

Geoff Bennett: Well, how else do those litany of civil suits that he's facing, how do they mirror or overlap with this federal indictment?

Sidney Madden: The avalanche of a lot of the civil suits that really created a pathology of behavior or an image of Diddy's behavior for decades, they really do run parallel to a lot of the claims made in this indictment.

For example, back in March, two of Diddy's residences were raided by Homeland Security, one mansion in L.A., one mansion in Miami. And that was kind of the first clue that there would be some criminal proceedings taking place off of these civil lawsuits.

His lawyer at the time even said that the search warrants were issued based off -- quote, unquote -- "meritless claims" made in civil suits. And, earlier today, U.S. attorney Damian Williams, he basically confirmed that the civil suits and this criminal suit are inextricably linked, because, within that raid, he detailed how there were firearms seized, there were electronics that have evidence of these freak-offs, these explicit sex parties that he forced people to take part in.

And there were also stockpiles of a lot of the other supplies that were required for Diddy to find pleasure in the sex parties and also used to blackmail his victims later.

Geoff Bennett: Sidney Madden with NPR Music.

Sidney, thanks so much.

Sidney Madden: Thank you.