‘Freak Offs,’ Drugs, and Violence: Breaking Down the Charges Against Diddy

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the music mogul who has been embroiled in multiple legal battles over allegations of physical or sexual abuse, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Combs was arrested on Monday night in New York, and the federal indictment was unsealed on Tuesday. The indictment alleges that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” It accuses Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” that included sex trafficking, forced labor, and kidnapping, among other crimes.

Combs was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon in a federal courthouse in Manhattan, and a federal judge ordered that he be jailed without bail while awaiting trial. Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo said outside the courthouse after the arraignment that his team had a court appearance scheduled for the following day to appeal the decision.

“Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence,” Agnifilo told journalists outside the courthouse after the judge’s decision on Tuesday. “He’s not afraid of the charges.”

Combs allegedly manipulated and forced women to participate in sexual activity with male sex workers in what he called “Freak Offs,” according to the indictment. The indictment describes various incidents of alleged abuse dating back to 2008, including one apparent reference to an attack on his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Combs’ arrest came after federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of the investigation, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The indictment follows multiple allegations of abuse perPetrated by Combs, detailed by several lawsuits including one filed by Cassie, born Casandra Ventura. Ventura and Combs reached a settlement in November, just one day after she filed her lawsuit, although Combs denied the allegations at the time. But in May, CNN released CCTV footage that showed Combs punching and kicking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016, prompting Combs to release a video statement on Instagram in which he admitted to assaulting Ventura.

Two other women filed lawsuits in November, accusing the music mogul of sexual assault, beatings, and forced drugging in the early 1990s. Another woman sued Combs in December, alleging that he and two other men raped her when she was 17 in 2003.

At a press conference Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said that his office, which brought the case against Combs, was “not done.” He added that the investigation is ongoing and encouraged people with any information to come forward. 

“This office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be,” Williams said. “A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City. Today, he’s been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York.” (Combs returned his key to the city in June, after a request from Mayor Eric Adams.)

The indictment doesn’t state the total number of people who were allegedly victimized by Combs or how many people were involved, and Williams declined to disclose that information during the press conference. But in court filings, prosecutors said that officials have interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses so far.

Here’s a breakdown of the allegations detailed in the indictment.

'Freak Offs'

The indictment repeatedly refers to the “Combs Enterprise,” allegedly led by Combs himself and including members of his security staff, household staff, personal assistants, high-ranking supervisors, and other close associates. While the enterprise maintained Combs’ media and Entertainment Business, it also protected Combs through violence, coercion, and abuse, the indictment alleges. The indictment accuses the enterprise of “fulfilling the personal desires of Combs, particularly those related to Combs’ sexual gratification through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.”

The indictment alleges that Combs—and others acting under his authority—used his “power and prestige” to intimidate and lure women into his orbit, “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.” He would then use force, threats, and coercion to force the women to participate, with male sex workers, in what the music mogul called “Freak Offs,” which were “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment alleges. These “Freak Offs” could last several days. On some occasions, Combs and his associates would fly women and sex workers across state lines and internationally, the indictment claims.

The indictment accuses Combs’ associates of helping to facilitate these incidents by arranging Travel, booking hotel rooms and stocking them with items, including drugs, baby oil, lubricant, and extra linens. When federal agents searched Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March, they seized supplies used in the “Freak Offs,” including more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to the indictment.

Drug use

During the “Freak Offs,” Combs would give the women drugs to keep them “obedient and compliant,” the indictment alleges. Williams said during his press conference that those substances included ketamine, ecstasy, and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Federal agents seized narcotics during their search of Combs’ residences in March, according to the indictment.

Combs and victims often received IV fluids after these encounters “to recover from the physical exertion and drug use,” the indictment claims.

Coercive tactics

The indictment accuses Combs of using various tactics to control the women, including promising them career opportunities, threatening to withhold financial support, tracking their locations, surveilling their medical records, and regulating their housing.

“Victims believed they could not refuse Combs’ demands without risking their financial or job security or without repercussions in the form of physical or emotional abuse,” the indictment alleges. “Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims.” Sometimes the women didn’t know Combs kept videos of the activities, the indictment claims.

Physical violence and threats

Combs and his associates also used physical violence or threats of violence to control victims, the indictment alleges. The indictment claims that Combs had a history of assaulting women by “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them,” referencing the incident in 2016 involving Ventura that was caught on camera. The indictment alleges that Combs attempted to bribe a member of the hotel security staff who intervened in that incident.

More than once, Combs tried to intimidate or threaten victims and witnesses by brandishing firearms, the indictment alleges. When federal authorities searched the music mogul’s homes in March, they found firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine, according to the indictment.

In some instances, members of the so-called Combs Enterprise helped conceal Combs’ abuse by forcing victims to stay in hiding, sometimes for multiple days, to recover from injuries the music mogul had iNFLicted, the indictment alleges. When people threatened Combs’ authority or reputation, he and his associates would retaliate using violence, including kidnapping and arson, or threats, the indictment claims. (At the press conference on Tuesday, Williams declined to reveal further details of the arson allegations.)

According to the indictment, Combs and his associates allegedly pressured and tried to bribe witnesses and victims to stay silent about these “Freak Offs” in late 2023, after abuse allegations started becoming public.