Federal investigators raided homes associated with hip-hop mogul Sean Combs in the Los Angeles and Miami areas on Monday, a source familiar with the case said.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the raid but did not provide details about the incident, including whether Mr. Combs was the target or what criminal charges were being investigated. Mr. Combs, also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, has been accused of sexual assault and sex trafficking in several civil lawsuits over the past few months.
Mr. A spokeswoman for Combs did not respond to a request for comment.
The criminal investigation is being conducted by federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York and federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement officials said. Southern Region spokesman Nicolas Byas declined to comment.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that New York agents “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and local law enforcement partners.”
Footage from Los Angeles-area TV station Fox 11 (KTTV) showed armed officers entering a home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, which a law enforcement official said was associated with Mr. Combs. California public records show the home is owned by a company led by Mr. Combs.
The raid took place on producer, record label executive and sometime rapper Mr. It was a remarkable development in the career of Combs, 54.
He played a key role in transforming hip-hop into a global commercial force, creating hit songs and larger-than-life personas for rap and R&B performers like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. He also had huge hits on his own with songs such as “I'll Be Missing You” (1997), the Notorious B.I.G.'s ballad after the rapper's widow, Faith Evans, died in a drive-by shooting and sampled the song by police . Press “Every time you take a breath.”
But Mr. Combs has been dogged by allegations of violence for decades. Last November, he was accused of sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who is signed to his label Bad Boy as performance artist Cassie.
In the lawsuit, Ms. Ventura accuses Ms. Combs of forcing her to perform sexual acts with male prostitutes over several years. The lawsuit states that as a result of these encounters, which occurred in several cities across the United States, Ms. Ventura became a victim of sex trafficking.
Ms. Ventura's civil suit was settled in just one day, and she and Mr. Combs said the dispute was resolved “amicably.”
The case, filed in a detailed 35-page complaint, made headlines around the world and jeopardized the business brand he had steadily built over decades. A few months before Mr. Ventura's lawsuit, Mr. Combs has won industry awards and released his first studio album in 17 years.
Even after the settlement, Mr. Ventura's lawsuit was followed by several more cases charging Mr. Combs with sexual assault. In a lawsuit filed last month, music producer Rodney Jones said Mr. Combs had unwanted sexual contact with him and forced him to hire prostitutes and engage in sexual acts with them. In recent months, Mr. Many of Combs' business partners distanced themselves from him.
Federal investigators in New York have been leading the investigation and have been conducting interviews for months questioning potential witnesses about the sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Combs, according to people familiar with the interviews.
Mr. Combs denied the accusations against him. After an anonymous woman filed a lawsuit in December alleging that Combs and two other men sexually assaulted her at a New York recording studio in 2003 when he was 17, the music mogul said: Looking for a quick salary. “Let me be clear: I did not do any of the horrible things that are alleged.”
After Mr. Jones filed the suit last month, Mr. Combs' attorney, Sean Hawley, said Mr. Jones was “nothing more than a liar who unscrupulously filed a $30 million lawsuit seeking undeserved pay” and called his accusations “pure fiction.” It was called. .” Two other lawyers for Mr. Hawley and Mr. Combs also did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
In a statement Monday, attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Mr. Ventura and an unnamed woman who has accused Mr. Combs of assault in his New York studio, said: The law has been violated. “I hope this is the beginning of the process of holding Mr. Combs accountable for his depraved actions.”
The home searched in Miami Beach was on Star Island, an exclusive mansion enclave in Biscayne Bay popular with celebrities and the wealthy. On Monday, the usual tranquility was interrupted by a Homeland Security Investigations van with flashing red and blue lights, law enforcement officers in blue windbreakers, at least two agents with dogs and reporters dotting the palm tree-lined lawn. It is done.
A similar scene unfolded near Combs' home in Los Angeles. By late afternoon, dozens of people (mostly journalists) were wandering through the hip neighborhood of Holmby Hills, unable to cross the yellow caution tape on South Mapleton Drive.
Several Los Angeles police officers blocked the road leading to Mr. Combs' property. Passers-by took notice of the luxury SUV drivers who slowed down to take scrum photos.
Just a mile east of the University of California, Los Angeles, this neighborhood is no stranger to attention. Home to many famous people, it's also where Hugh Hefner once hosted lavish parties at the Playboy Mansion and where Michael Jackson lived in a castle shortly before his death. Most properties are surrounded by gates and stone walls covered with greenery or vines. This is a privacy pillar of the community known as Exclusive.
Hamed Aleaziz contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.; Chelsea Rose Macius In New York, Corinna Knoll in los angeles and Veronica Saragovia In Miami.