Police raids on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ homes an ‘unprecedented ambush’, rapper's lawyer says
26 March 2024, 22:04
Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyer said that the searches of his Los Angeles and Miami properties by federal authorities in a sex-trafficking investigation were "a gross use of military-level force".
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The rapper's lawyer also said Combs is "innocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name.
It is the first public statement from the music mogul's team since Monday's raids by Homeland Security Investigations agents in the investigation being run by federal authorities in New York.
"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr Combs' residences," said the statement from attorney Aaron Dyer.
"There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated."
In a statement released on Monday, Homeland Security Investigations said it "executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners".
The criminal investigation is a major escalation in the scrutiny of Combs, who has been the defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.
In a lawsuit Combs settled the day after it was filed in November, his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape.
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The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs' accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
Combs and his attorneys have denied all of the lawsuits' allegations.
