Prosecutors in New York have widened their case against rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, accusing him of coercing two more people into commercial sex acts and dangling a person from an apartment balcony.
Diddy has been in jail since September, when he was accused of racketeering, forced sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution.
On Thursday, the indictment was revised to include two additional victims, but no new counts were added to the case.
The 55-year-old artist has vigorously rejected all claims levelled against him, including the federal criminal case and more than 30 different civil lawsuits.
In response to the superseding indictment, his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, stated that the prosecution’s case “remains flawed.”.
“The government has added the ridiculous theory that two of Mr. Combs’s former girlfriends were not girlfriends at all but were prostitutes. Mr. Combs is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial.”
The original indictment identified only one victim, named in court documents as “Victim-1,” whose accusations aligned closely to those of Cassandra Ventura—the singer who sued Diddy for rape and sex trafficking in 2023.
According to the new complaint, Diddy “used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims, including but not limited to three female victims, to engage in commercial sex acts.
The alleged assault was graphically depicted in a video showing the singer kicking, dragging, and smashing a vase at Ms. Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
In the new charge, prosecutors claim that “Combs, with the assistance of several close associates, paid hotel security staff $100,000” (£80,000) for the film.
However, it was leaked to CNN last year. Combs later stated that he was “disgusted” by the tape and sought “professional help” following the incident.
Ms. Ventura stated that the violence she had witnessed “broke me down to someone I never thought I’d become.”.
The fresh indictment indicates that federal prosecutors are broadening their case against Combs as his trial date in May approaches.
A footnote to the paper states that their investigation is ongoing and that additional updates would be provided “as soon as possible” before the trial.
Among the new findings, prosecutors have pushed the alleged start date of Combs’ sex trafficking charges back to 2004, four years earlier than previously reported.
They have also added methamphetamine and hallucinogenic mushrooms to the previously mentioned cocaine, oxycodone, and ketamine on the list of narcotics the singer reportedly used to keep his victims “obedient and silent.”
The accusation that Diddy hung a lady from a balcony is similar to one made in a civil case filed by fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan last December.
Prosecutors further claimed that Combs abused not only women, but also “his employees, witnesses to his abuse, and others.”.
The musician’s lawyers have previously called the charges against him “baseless” and accused the government of conducting a “witch hunt.”
