NEW YORK — On Thursday, prosecutors expanded their indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, alleging that the hip-hop icon is involved in sex trafficking at least three women and even reportedly dangled one of them off a hotel balcony as part of a decades-long racketeering scheme. The updated charges were presented in a federal court in Manhattan, and Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, mentioned that while the indictment has been amended, it does not introduce any new charges against his client.
The 55-year-old Combs has pleaded not guilty to the sex trafficking allegations made against him following his arrest in September. He is currently being held without bail and is set to stand trial on May 5. In the revised indictment, prosecutors stated that the purported racketeering conspiracy extended over a more extended period, now spanning from approximately 2004 to 2024. The initial indictment indicated that the conspiracy was thought to have commenced by 2008.
At least three women are identified in the indictment as “Victim-1,” “Victim-2,” and “Victim-3.” Prosecutors contend that Combs utilized his influence and status in the music industry to intimidate and manipulate women, often leading them to believe they were entering a romantic relationship. The document accuses him of employing force, threats, and coercion to compel these women into engaging in commercial sex acts.
Furthermore, the indictment outlines various forms of intimidation that the women allegedly faced, including violence and threats to their financial, personal, and reputational well-being, alongside verbal abuse. It notably claims that Combs threw objects and individuals, as well as physically assaulted, forced, and threatened victims. One particularly alarming allegation states that he once dangled a victim over a balcony of an apartment. However, prosecutors did not provide additional details about this specific incident.
In a response to the charges, Agnifilo reaffirmed Combs’ determination to contest the allegations. He characterized the government’s claims as absurd, arguing that they wrongly portray two of Combs’ former girlfriends not as intimate partners but as sex workers. Earlier in the month, the defense team criticized the indictment, saying it reflects a “sexist and puritanical” stance regarding consensual adult behavior.
Their court filings articulated the position that the prosecution’s approach reinforces harmful stereotypes about women lacking agency and victimhood. The defense contended that the government’s perspective frames consensual sexual interactions as distasteful, suggesting an attempt to regulate sexual behavior that does not conform to traditional norms. They posited that this line of reasoning unjustly assumes that a woman’s voluntary participation in sexual activities was necessarily coerced.
