Latest news with #Diddy:MakingofaBadBoy
Express Tribune
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Diddy faces forced labour allegations in sex trafficking case as federal prosecutors reject evidence suppression
Federal prosecutors have added forced labour allegations to the ongoing sex trafficking case against Sean "Diddy" Combs, rejecting his efforts to suppress digital evidence. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the new claims just two months before the music mogul's trial begins in New York. While the latest indictment does not introduce new charges, it expands on allegations within the racketeering conspiracy count. Prosecutors claim Combs coerced employees into sex under threats of financial, reputational, and physical harm. One employee reportedly endured physical force and psychological abuse to comply. Arrested in September 2024, Combs faces multiple charges, including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison. He remains incarcerated at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre after being denied a $50 million bail. Combs' defence team maintains his innocence. 'Mr. Combs has said it before and will say it again: he vehemently denies the accusations,' stated his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo. Meanwhile, prosecutors dismissed Combs' attempts to exclude electronic evidence, arguing that search warrants used in raids on his LA and Miami homes were legally executed. "Neither challenge meets the demanding standard for suppression," prosecutors wrote, urging the court to deny his motion. Beyond the criminal case, Combs faces over 25 civil lawsuits, including allegations of assault, abuse, and rape. He has also sued NBCUniversal for £100 million, alleging defamation over its Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy documentary.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Defense In Disarray As Top Lawyer Quits Ahead Of Sex Trafficking Trial; Feds Accuse Sean Combs Of Trying To 'Relitigate' With Delay Tactics
EXCLUSIVE: Two months before the start of a sex trafficking trial that could see the much accused Sean 'Diddy' Combs behind bars for the rest of his life, one of the 'I'll Be Missing You' rapper's top lawyers wants out of the case. The request today by Anthony Ricco to Judge Arun Subramanian partially pulls the veil back on a defense team that is consumed with in-fighting and lacks focus, I'm told. More from Deadline Chantal Kreviazuk Changes Canadian National Anthem Lyrics During NHL Game Against U.S. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Will Keep Mayor Eric Adams In Place With Guardrails Zachary Levi "Felt Peace" Openly Supporting Donald Trump: "This Was More Important Than Saving My Career" 'It's become a real sh*tshow, they're desperate to not go to trial,' a well-positioned attorney told Deadline of the Marc Agnifilo, and Teny Geragos-led Combs criminal trial defense. 'Look at the filings, they're throwing everything at the wall and praying something sticks.' Ricco's move Friday for permission for 'withdrawal' from Diddy's multi-claims case is thin on details and admittedly unorthodox in the way it is being conducted due to that what the lawyer cites as 'protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege.' However, making a point of saying he is exiting 'respectfully but regrettably' the New York-based Ricco's declaration adds: 'Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs, consistent with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice.' Diddy's upcoming trial should not be delayed because of Ricco's requested departure, the lawyer says. The Bad Boy Records founder has been incarcerated at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his September 16 arrest. Ricco joined the pricey Marc Agnifilo, and Teny Geragos-led Combs defense team on September 22. Repeatedly failing to get released on $50 million bail, Combs is set to go to trial on racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges starting May 5. Spreading the wealth so to speak, Combs sued NBCUniversal on February 12 for $100 million over what the rapper terms an 'outrageous set of fresh lies and conspiracy theories' stemming from Peacock's Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy documentary. Just this week, mere days after a civil case accusing Combs and Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old in 2000 was dropped by the now middle-aged Jane Doe, Combs' defense accused the turbulent U.S. Attorney's office of going after their client with 'racist' laws because he is a powerful black man, and he is being prosecuted for conduct that regularly goes unpunished.' The once-Damian Williams run SDNY had no comment on the claim, and has not filed a response yet. 'They should be all over the prosecution and the indictment right now, instead (they're) losing Ricco and claiming racism,' an insider says. 'Not a good look, if you ask me. Not a strategy.' Representatives for Combs did not respond to request for comment on the state of the defense team and Ricco's reasons for leaving. Anthony Ricco also did not respond when contacted by Deadline. If they do, this post will be updated. However, according to a source close to the matter, there is 'no truth' to claims of disarray among the defense team despite Ricco's departure. In fact, the source says Ricco leaving 'does not impact Mr. Combs's legal team, which remains intact and fully engaged.' They add that 'nothing has changed,' citing Agnifilo, and Geragos running things. Ricco's desire to be cut loose from the Combs case actually still has to be approved by Judge Subramanian – which technically makes the lawyer still a member of the defense until that request is granted. Perhaps telling of the state of affairs of Combs' legal team, Friday also say the now Matthew Podolsky-led SDNY push back on a motion by the defense to have all the victims and more in the three claim indictment identified. In correspondence to the judge, the feds portrayed the ask as as just a sideshow to try to delay the trial. 'Most relevant to the instant request, on February 1, 2025, the Government provided the defendant with a 16-page Enterprise Letter, outlining in detail the racketeering activity and related conduct that the Government currently expects to prove at trial in connection with the charged racketeering conspiracy offense,' exclaims a two-page letter this morning from Donald Trump Department of Justice appointed Acting U.S. Attorney Podolsky to Judge Subramanian. 'The Enterprise Letter described these acts in detail, including their approximate dates and the people involved—noting, for example, their titles at the defendant's company or providing other identifying features,' Podolsky's sharp missive adds. 'In short, these additional disclosures undermine any claim by the defendant that he is not aware of the 'nature of the charge pending against him;' or is unable to adequately prepare for trial.' 'Instead, the defendant's renewed request for a bill of particulars is merely an attempt to relitigate the pretrial schedule to get even earlier disclosure of victim and witness information. But his assertion that such information would be useful is no basis to grant his request.' As well as the criminal case, the not guilty pleading and accusation denying Combs is fighting dozens and dozens of civil lawsuits claiming assaults, abuse and retaliation from individuals who say they were raped and attacked, some drugged at his so-called 'freak off' parties. The overwhelming majority of those case are represented by lawyer Tony Buzbee. The Houston attorney was also the main man for the Jane Doe who said that Combs, Jay-Z and an unnamed female 'Celebrity B' repeatedly raped her at the 2000 MTV VMAs. As noted, the plaintiffs pulled the plug on that particular case on Valentine's Day. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 So Far Everything We Know About Season 3 Of 'Euphoria' So Far
Euronews
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sues NBC for €95 million while awaiting sex trafficking trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is suing NBC Universal over a documentary that he says falsely accuses him of being a serial killer who had sex with underage girls as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in New York state court alleges the documentary, 'Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy,' included statements that NBC Universal either knew were false or published with reckless disregard for the truth in order to defame the founder of Bad Boy Records. 'Indeed, the entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him,' the complaint reads. 'It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a 'monster' and 'an embodiment of Lucifer' with 'a lot of similarities' to Jeffrey Epstein.' Spokespersons for NBC Universal and the entertainment company that produced the documentary, which is also named in the suit, didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The documentary premiered last month on Peacock TV, the network's streaming service. 'From his childhood to becoming a mogul, this raw look at Sean Combs' journey through exclusive footage and candid interviews explores his rise, controversies and the man behind the music,' a description of the documentary on Peacock's website reads. Combs, who is seeking no less than $100 million (€95 million) in damages, has been in a Brooklyn federal jail since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors claim he used his wealth and influence to coerce female victims and male sex workers into drug-fuelled, dayslong sexual performances known as 'Freak Offs.' They say Combs used blackmail and violence to intimidate and threaten his victims in a pattern of abuse that goes back to the early 2000s. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His trial is slated to start in May. What is in the lawsuit? In the civil lawsuit, Erica Wolff, an attorney for Combs, said NBC and the other entities named in the suit 'maliciously and recklessly broadcast outrageous lies' in order to 'line their own pockets' by driving viewership to the documentary. 'In making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, Defendants seek only to capitalize on the public's appetite for scandal without any regard for the truth and at the expense of Mr. Combs's right to a fair trial,' she said in a statement. 'Mr. Combs brings this lawsuit to hold Defendants accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.' Combs' lawsuit says the documentary 'falsely, recklessly, and maliciously' accuses him of murdering Kimberly Porter, Christopher Wallace and Dwight Arrington Myers, among other notable names. Porter, a model who had been Combs' longtime girlfriend and the mother of some of his children, died in 2008 at the age of 47 from complications from pneumonia. Wallace, the rapper known as The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in 1997 in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at age 24. Myers, the rapper known as Heavy D, died from a pulmonary embolism in 2011 at the age of 44. 'It shamelessly advances conspiracy theories that lack any foundation in reality, repeatedly insinuating that Mr. Combs is a serial killer because it cannot be a 'coincidence' that multiple people in Mr. Combs's orbit have died,' the complaint reads. Elsewhere, the complaint says the documentary delved into claims Combs had sex with underage girls, citing as evidence a civil complaint that's been 'thoroughly discredited.' Combs' lawyers say the women referenced in that complaint have since confirmed they were adults at the time.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs sues NBC over new documentary as he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean 'Diddy' Combs is suing NBC Universal over a documentary that he says falsely accuses him of being a serial murderer who had sex with underage girls as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court says the documentary, ' Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy,' included statements that NBC Universal either knew were false or published with reckless disregard for the truth in order to defame the founder of Bad Boy Records. 'Indeed, the entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him,' the complaint reads. 'It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a 'monster' and 'an embodiment of Lucifer' with 'a lot of similarities' to Jeffrey Epstein.' Spokespersons for NBC Universal and the entertainment company that produced the documentary, which is also named in the suit, didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The documentary premiered last month on Peacock TV, the network's streaming service. 'From his childhood to becoming a mogul, this raw look at Sean Combs' journey through exclusive footage and candid interviews explores his rise, controversies and the man behind the music,' a description of the documentary on Peacock's website reads. Combs, who is seeking no less than $100 million in damages, has been in a Brooklyn federal jail since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors say he used his wealth and influence to coerce female victims and male sex workers into drug-fueled, dayslong sexual performances known as 'Freak Offs.' They say Combs used blackmail and violence to intimidate and threaten his victims in a pattern of abuse that goes back to the early 2000s. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His trial is slated to start in May. In the criminal case on Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a request by Combs' lawyers that a hearing be conducted over 19 pages of Combs' notes that were taken from his cell during a Bureau of Prisons sweep of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Combs is held without bail. Defense lawyers say the seizure violated Combs' constitutional rights, but Judge Arun Subramanian said in a written opinion that a review shows the government did not intentionally invade Combs' attorney-client privilege, that appropriate steps were taken afterward and the issue is moot because prosecutors say they will not use any of the information at trial. In the civil lawsuit Wednesday, Erica Wolff, an attorney for Combs, said NBC and the other entities named in the suit 'maliciously and recklessly broadcast outrageous lies' in order to 'line their own pockets' by driving viewership to the documentary. 'In making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, Defendants seek only to capitalize on the public's appetite for scandal without any regard for the truth and at the expense of Mr. Combs's right to a fair trial,' she said in a statement. 'Mr. Combs brings this lawsuit to hold Defendants accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.' Combs' lawsuit says the documentary 'falsely, recklessly, and maliciously' accuses him of murdering Kimberly Porter, Christopher Wallace and Dwight Arrington Myers, among other notable names. Porter, a model who had been Combs' longtime girlfriend and the mother of some of his children, died in 2008 at the age of 47 from complications from pneumonia. Wallace, the rapper known as The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in 1997 in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at age 24. Myers, the rapper known as 'Heavy D,' died from a pulmonary embolism in 2011 at the age of 44. 'It shamelessly advances conspiracy theories that lack any foundation in reality, repeatedly insinuating that Mr. Combs is a serial killer because it cannot be a 'coincidence' that multiple people in Mr. Combs's orbit have died,' the complaint reads. Elsewhere, the complaint says the documentary delved into claims Combs had sex with underage girls, citing as evidence a civil complaint that's been 'thoroughly discredited.' Combs' lawyers say the women referenced in that complaint have since confirmed they were adults at the time. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs accuses documentary of defamation while in custody over sex trafficking case
Sean "Diddy" Combs is suing NBC Universal and its streaming service, Peacock, and Ample Entertainment, accusing them of defaming him in a documentary that ties him to crimes more heinous than the ones that have put him in federal custody without bail. In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in New York, the hip-hop mogul accuses the documentary, "Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy," of peddling in an "outrageous set of fresh lies and conspiracy theories," including alleged serial murder and the rapes of minors, and is seeking $100 million. 'The Documentary includes numerous false and defamatory statements that Defendants NBCU and Ample knew were false or published with reckless disregard as to whether they were false or not," the lawsuit alleges. "Indeed, the entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him. It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a 'monster' and 'an embodiment of Lucifer' with 'a lot of similarities' to [accused child sex trafficker] Jeffrey Epstein,' who died in 2019. Combs is charged with three federal crimes — racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution — and has pleaded not guilty to each of them. The 55-year-old entrepreneur is set to go on trial May 5 based on a newly expanded indictment that alleges the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment long used his empire to coerce victims into sex in gatherings known as "freak-offs." None of the allegations involves minors or murder. However, he faces multiple lawsuits from individuals claiming they were sexually abused as minors — something he has strenuously denied. Read more: How Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly used his empire and employees to 'get his way' with women At the heart of the defamation claim is the allegations tied to the death of Kim Porter, the mother of three of his children. Porter's official cause of death was pneumonia. According to the suit, the documentary accuses Combs of killing Porter, Christopher Wallace (known as Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie), Andrew Harrell, Dwight Arrington Myers (known as Heavy D) and attempting to kill Albert Joseph Brown (known as Al B. Sure). "It shamelessly advances conspiracy theories that lack any foundation in reality, repeatedly insinuating that Mr. Combs is a serial killer because it cannot be a 'coincidence' that multiple people in Mr. Combs' orbit have died," the suit claims. In the 90-minute documentary, one interviewee, Sure, who also had a child with Porter, described her death as a murder before stating, "Am I supposed to say 'allegedly?'" NBC did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. But to prove defamation, Combs' lawyers must prove to a judge or jury that the defendants in the case knew that the statements were defamatory in nature and were false, or they published them with reckless disregard for the truth. Erica Wolff, Combs' attorney, said "in making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, defendants seek only to capitalize on the public's appetite for scandal without any regard for the truth and at the expense of Mr. Combs' right to a fair trial." She said the lawsuit seeks to hold NBC "accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.' Read more: 'A culture of silence and deference': A sex trafficking expert analyzes the allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs The lawsuit comes as Combs faces more than 40 civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Combs was arrested in September after a nearly yearlong investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. The indictment against Combs lists several victims, including a 'Victim-1,' whose allegations mirrored those of Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, a singer and former girlfriend of Combs who sued him in 2023. Combs settled that lawsuit. The expanded indictment refers to 'Victim-2' and 'Victim-3,' but does not reveal their identities. It alleges Combs 'used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims, including but not limited to three female victims,' to engage in commercial sex acts. Prosecutors allege that, as part of a sex-trafficking scheme, Combs and his entourage engaged in violence, abuse, arson and kidnapping. During one kidnapping, Combs allegedly brandished a firearm. Combs' attorneys have unsuccessfully sought to exclude evidence they say was leaked, including a 2016 video that shows Combs beating Ventura in a hallway of the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. The video, obtained and published by CNN last year, confirmed at least some of the physical abuse allegations against the singer detailed in a lawsuit filed in November. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
