P Diddy: Raids on Sean Combs’ properties had been ‘unprecedented ambush’, lawyer says | Ents & Arts Information

Police raids on two properties owned by rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs had been an “unprecedented ambush”, his lawyer has mentioned.

Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami had been searched by officers on Monday.

The searches had been linked to a intercourse trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, US information shops reported yesterday.

In a press release launched on behalf of the rapper, his lawyer Aaron Dyer mentioned: “Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level drive as search warrants had been executed at Mr Combs’ residences.

“There is no such thing as a excuse for the extreme present of drive and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way in which his youngsters and workers had been handled.

“Mr Combs was by no means detained however spoke to and cooperated with authorities.

“Regardless of media hypothesis, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his members of the family have been arrested nor has their skill to journey been restricted in any approach. This unprecedented ambush – paired with a complicated, coordinated media presence – results in a untimely rush to judgment of Mr Combs and is nothing greater than a witch hunt primarily based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.

“There was no discovering of legal or civil legal responsibility with any of those allegations. Mr. Combs is harmless and can proceed to battle each single day to clear his identify.”

Sky’s US accomplice community NBC Information understands that a number of telephones had been seized from Combs in Miami on Monday earlier than he was scheduled to depart on a visit to the Bahamas.

In keeping with NBC Information, three ladies and a person have been interviewed by federal officers in Manhattan in relation to the sex-trafficking investigation and additional allegations of sexual assault, solicitation and distribution of unlawful narcotics and firearms.

Representatives for Combs didn’t instantly reply to NBC Information’ request for remark.

The American music mogul, 54, has been the topic of a number of lawsuits, together with for sexual assault, in current months.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have intercourse with them.

Combs’ lawyer mentioned that for these allegations, “we’ve got overwhelming, indeniable proof that his claims are full lies”.

The rapper’s former protege and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November alleging she was trafficked, raped, plied with medicine and overwhelmed by Combs over a 10-year interval.

The lawsuit mentioned he compelled her to have intercourse with male prostitutes whereas he filmed them. The swimsuit was settled the day after it was filed.

Additionally in November, Combs was sued by Joie Dickerson-Neal who claimed he drugged and sexually assaulted her when she was a psychology scholar at Syracuse College in January 1991 and filmed the assault.

However rejecting the claims as “made up and never credible”, a spokesperson for the star branded them “purely a cash seize and nothing extra”.

One other of Combs’ accusers is a girl who claims he “gang raped” her 20 years in the past after she was plied with medicine and alcohol when she was 17 years outdated.

Combs has denied all of the allegations.

In a press release in December, he described the claims as “sickening” and mentioned his accusers had been “searching for a fast payday”.

“Let me be completely clear: I didn’t do any of the terrible issues being alleged. I’ll battle for my identify, my household and for the reality,” he mentioned.

Combs is among the many most influential hip hop producers and executives of the previous three a long time.

Also called Puff Daddy and P Diddy, he constructed one in all hip-hop’s greatest empires, blazing a path with a number of entities connected to his identify.

He’s the founding father of Unhealthy Boy Information and a three-time Grammy winner who has labored with a number of top-tier artists together with Infamous BIG, Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Religion Evans and 112.

His newest album, The Love Album – Off the Grid, was launched final yr days after Combs was honoured on the MTV VMAs. It was nominated for greatest progressive R&B album at Febuary’s Grammy Awards, which he didn’t attend.