US investigators have searched rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes in California and Florida. At the request of the US broadcaster CNN, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency confirmed the raids in Los Angeles and Miami on Monday. Nothing was disclosed about the background. The musician’s team of spokespersons did not initially respond to a request from the German Press Agency. HSI investigators report to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As the US broadcaster CNN reports, citing insiders, the house searches are said to be in connection with an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking. However, it is unclear whether Combs himself was targeted by investigators or whether the houses were searched for another reason.
There have been allegations of sexual violence against the rapper in recent months. Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who worked with Combs on his Grammy-nominated record “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” filed suit in federal court in New York in February. He accuses the 54-year-old of sexually harassing, drugging and threatening him over a period of more than a year. Combs, one of the most successful representatives of the hip-hop industry, who also works as a record producer, actor and in other areas of business, had his legal team reject the allegations as lies.
In December 2023, an unnamed woman also filed a lawsuit accusing Combs and two other men of drugging and raping her when she was 17 in 2003 in the rapper’s New York studio. Previously, three women had filed civil lawsuits against Combs, including his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie, who accused the rapper of, among other things, sexual abuse, rape, intimidation and physical violence during their relationship. Combs agreed to a settlement with Cassie in November.
Douglas Wigdor, the lawyer for Cassie and another unnamed woman, responded to the raid reports on Monday with a statement that was available to the German Press Agency. In it, he expressed the hope that Combs would be held responsible for his “reprehensible behavior.”