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Groups of federal brokers, together with Homeland Safety Investigative officers, have been seen conducting coordinated raids at two houses related to rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday.
When requested to verify the shock searches, authorities mentioned that HSI New York “executed legislation enforcement actions as a part of an ongoing investigation with help from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our native legislation enforcement companions.”
In a quick assertion they added: “We’ll present additional info because it turns into obtainable.”
HSI officers didn’t reply to requests from NPR to make clear if Combs was the goal of the raids.
The Los Angeles mansion linked to Combs is within the Holmby Hills neighborhood and isn’t owned by the music mogul, however it has been linked to Combs’ firm, Unhealthy Boys Movie Manufacturing, in accordance with KTLA in Los Angeles.
The residence in Miami was bought by Combs in 2021.
Aerial footage from KTLA in Los Angeles confirmed a number of SWAT autos stationed close to a big house. In the meantime, groups of brokers in bulletproof vests appeared to take away a number of gadgets from the house and officers have been seen questioning a number of folks.
The rationale for the raids is unclear however they arrive on the heels of a lawsuit alleging that the 54-year-old was the chief of a prison enterprise that might qualify as a “widespread and harmful prison intercourse trafficking group.”
As NPR beforehand reported, Combs has grow to be the topic of a number of civil fits accusing him of sexual misconduct, together with rape and assault. Combs has denied all accusations of sexual misconduct. He has not been criminally charged with any of the allegations.
Messages to Combs’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, looking for remark weren’t instantly returned.
In November 2023, singer Cassie Ventura, who had signed a 10-album take care of Combs’ Unhealthy Boy Leisure when she was 19, accused Combs of years of sexual misconduct, harassment, intercourse trafficking and rape.
Ventura’s civil swimsuit was filed in New York Superior Courtroom underneath the state’s Grownup Survivors Act, a New York legislation allowing victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil motion whatever the statute of limitations of the crimes themselves.
Extra not too long ago, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who labored on Combs’ newest launch, The Love Album: Off the Grid, accused the famed rapper of sexual assault in a civil swimsuit filed in federal court docket. The swimsuit claims that Combs groped Jones repeatedly and in the course of the making of the album, Combs pressured Jones to solicit intercourse staff, take unlawful medicine and extra.
The swimsuit additionally names others near Combs as co-defendants. In an Instagram publish final December, Combs denied he did any of the issues he was accused of and vowed to combat for his identify.
It is a growing story.