On Monday, the 25th of March, two raids were carried out by Homeland Security- one in Los Angeles and one in Miami. Both homes were linked to none other than Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The music mogul has been plagued with multiple allegations throughout his career, but especially in recent years. But why did Homeland carry out these raids? And what evidence did they find at Combs’ properties?
Why did Homeland Security raid P. Diddy’s homes?
The Los Angeles raid was carried out on a mansion located in Holmby Hills associated with Combs. The L.A. home wasn’t registered under his name, but under one of Combs’ daughters’, and Bad Boy Films, a subgroup of Combs’ record label Bad Boy Entertainment. On the other hand, the Miami property was registered under Combs’ name.
The raid in Los Angeles was reportedly carried out in association with an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation, according to local law enforcement. Footage shows the HSI agents exiting the Los Angeles property with boxes of evidence, as well as detaining people who were in the mansion at the time, including Diddy’s sons, Justin and King.
In a statement from Homeland Security Investigations, it was clarified that the raid was carried out by HSI New York, as that is where the case against Diddy is based. However, the organization was carried out with assistance from HSI Los Angeles and Miami. They have also stated that more raids will be carried out on properties owned by Diddy in New York.
Specifically, these raids were carried out by the Human Trafficking Task Force division of Homeland Security Investigations. According to Rolling Stone, three women, and one man have already been interviewed by New York investigators about the sex trafficking charges, as well as racketeering, and domestic violence charges.
The many allegations against Sean Combs
Sean Combs has been involved in numerous lawsuits involving sex trafficking, RICO charges, and more. The catalyst for these were 2023 allegations made by Combs’s ex-girlfriend, singer Cassandra Ventura, a.k.a Cassie. Ventura has claimed that she was sexually and physically assaulted by the rapper for the duration of their 13-year relationship, which lasted from 2005 to 2018.
Her lawsuit was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed victims a year to sue their abusers, even if the statute of limitations had passed. Ventura’s lawsuit was settled in just one day, but this only opened the floor for a slew of accusations against the rapper to pour in. Since then, he has been sued for sexual harassment, sex trafficking, rape, and much more.
The next lawsuit against Diddy came from Liza Gardner, who also filed under the Adult Survivors Act. She alleged that she was coerced into sleeping with Diddy at a party in the early 90’s. Her suit was also against singer Aaron Hall, whom she claims also forced her to have sex with him. On the same day Liza Gardner’s complaint was filed, Joi Dickerson-Neal alleged in her suit that she was also a victim of Combs. According to her complaint, she went on a date with him in 1991, when she was 19, and he drugged and sexually assaulted her. He also allegedly recorded the assault and showed the footage to people.
Furthermore, a Jane Doe accuser also filed a complaint against Diddy for raping her when she was 17, along with his associate, Harve Pierre, and a third, unnamed man. Then, in February 2024, Diddy’s former producer Rodney Jones filed a lawsuit against him claiming that he was drugged and sexually harassed by Combs as well. He claimed that in the year he lived with Combs working on the rapper’s album, Love, he was constantly sexually harassed by the mogul. He also claimed that he has video evidence of Combs and his associates carrying out illegal activities, such as drug and sex trafficking, sexual assault, and more.
Diddy has since denied all the accusations against him in an Instagram post, claiming that the allegations were from people trying to destroy his reputation and legacy. However, the recent raids on his properties prove that the cases are being taken seriously.
What did they find at Diddy’s residences?
Footage and eyewitness reports from the raids show HSI agents exiting Combs’s homes with boxes of evidence, including electronics such as phones and computers. The HSI agents were also seen searching through the cushions of the outdoor couches on the properties. However, it will take some time for the evidence to be processed, due to the size of the properties, and the amount of evidence that was seized. Diddy was not present at either of the properties, and flight data shows that he arrived in the Caribbean via private jet on Monday morning, the same day of the raids.
