Diddy was arrested in New York on Monday night (Sept. 16) after being indicted by a grand jury on unknown charges, The New York Times and other outlets report. According to TMZ, Diddy was taken into federal custody at the FBI field office in Manhattan.
The rap mogul (real name: Sean Combs) has been hit with at least eight civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse over the past year, including the suit that started it all from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that was later followed by a video showing him assaulting her. Even before the video emerged, that suit was privately settled in under 24 hours. Combs is also facing an apparent federal criminal investigation after authorities raided his homes in March.
The most recent lawsuit against him comes from Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard, who filed a complaint last week in Manhattan federal court saying Diddy “manipulated” her into thinking that “abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.” Richard claims she witnessed Combs abuse Ventura on multiple occasions – and that recent lawsuits from Cassie and others sparked her to speak out.
“As more women courageously come forward, plaintiff has been empowered by this collective strength and now adds her voice to the growing chorus of victims bravely sharing their harrowing stories,” lawyers for Richard write. “Together, they seek justice and stand in solidarity, as the latest victims of the #Me Too movement in the music industry.”
In a response statement issued Wednesday, Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff said her client was “shocked and disappointed” by the new allegations.