Sean “Diddy” Combs is now standing trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs, who wasn’t the most prominent figure before 2023, blew up from his newfound accusations.
Sean Combs is a rapper, record producer, record executive, and three-time Grammy winner. He is charged with a count of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The trial is expected to begin in May of 2025.
Combs began his music career as an intern at Uptown Records (IMDB, 2024). His rise to fame was relatively quick. He had his record label by 1993 and signed numerous rap and R&B artists, like Notorious B.I.G. and The Lox, in 1996. His debut single, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” was released in December 1996. It spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and peaked at number 1 (Jango). This newfound fame sparked the public’s interest in his controversies.
Before his music and his label, he was still the same person as people know him today. His first known public controversy is referred to as the CCNY Tragedy 1991. He co-promoted a celebrity basketball game and concert at City College of New York (CCNY). The gymnasium had a capacity of 2,730 people, but as many as 5,000 people showed up to the location. After the doors were closed, people outside broke down the doors and caused a stampede. The lack of security and care in the situation caused the death of 9 people and hospitalized 29.
Also, in 1991, Combs allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted Joi Dickerson-Neal when she was 19 years old. Another lawsuit filed in November 2023 stated that a day before the New York State Adult Survivors Act expiration date, she was drugged, assaulted, and abused while being filmed. The videotape was spread to others in the music industry, which caused severe harm to not only her reputation but her physical and mental well-being.
Almost 9 years later, in 1999, Combs, one of his signed artists, Jamal Barrow, and his girlfriend, Jenifer Lopez, were at a club in New York. Combs knocked a drink out of actor Matthew Allen’s hands, and the two argued. Allen proceeded to threaten to kill Barrow. All three men drew guns, and among the crowd, three people were shot. Lopez and Combs left the club and led the police on a chase. They were arrested. However, Lopez was quickly discharged, and Combs was found with two nine-millimeter guns in his car. Combs was acquitted on all charges, and Barrow was found guilty of 5 of his eight charges. One woman who got shot, Natania Reuben, claims that Combs shot her. In light of the recent accusation, the case was not reopened.
Another assault allegation, filed on November 16th, 2023, by Cassandra Ventura, alleges years of sexual and physical assault. The lawsuit describes graphic descriptions of Combs raping her, physically abuse, intimidating her, and making her have intercourse with men while he watched. The lawsuit also claims that Combs blew up Kid Cudi’s car to stop him from seeing Ventura, which Cudi backs up. On May 17, 2024, another newly found video from 2016 from a surveillance camera showed Combs dragging Ventura down a hotel hallway. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money.
Around five days after this settlement, another undisclosed individual sued him for drugging, raping, and recording her. Combes took her to dinner in Harlem and drove her to a recording studio where the crime occurred. Combs’ representative denies these allegations. Combs faced a third sexual assault suit in one week, as a third anonymous filed against him. It claims that when she was 17, she was gang raped by Combs, with a very graphic description.
On March 25, 2024, law enforcement finally raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami. Among the raids, five anonymous women and men sat for interviews with Southern District of New York investigators related to a sex trafficking and RICO case. As of October 20, more interviews have been scheduled.
This is still the tip of the iceberg through these interviews, stories, and cases. There are so many lawsuits and cases against Combs, most of which are ongoing. This goes much deeper than anyone can imagine, and more videos and accounts will be uncovered. There is nothing that can be expected.