Cliff Notes
- Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing five felony charges, including racketeering conspiracy and multiple counts of sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution.
- The allegations against him span from 2008 to 2024 and involve leading a conspiracy that allegedly engaged in serious crimes such as forced labour and obstruction of justice.
- Combs has denied all charges, which have been expanded from an initial three offences following recent developments in the case.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs faces five felony charges:
- Racketeering conspiracy
- Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion
- Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution
The hip-hop producer was initially charged with three offences – racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Two extra counts – one each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – were added earlier in April.
Combs denies all charges
Racketeering broadly means engaging in an illegal scheme or enterprise, and the charge falls under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO) in the US.
According to the US justice department’s definition of RICO statute, it is also illegal to “conspire to violate” the laws.
The indictment against Combs alleges that between 2008 and 2024, he “led a racketeering conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among other crimes”, the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said following his arrest in September.