FILE PHOTO: Sean Combs arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala (Met Gala) to celebrate the opening of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., May 7, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
(Reuters) - Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents on Monday evening based on a sealed indictment, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said.
"We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the U.S. Attorney's Office," said Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs to Reuters.
Agnifilo said that Combs voluntarily relocated to New York in anticipation of the charges.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on Agnifilo's remarks.
Combs, 54, has faced several allegations of sexual assault.
Last week, singer Dawn Richard filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault, battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination and fraud in the Southern District of New York. Combs denies the allegations.
In the same month, Combs was ordered to pay $100 million in a different sexual assault lawsuit to Derrick Lee Smith, who accused Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party almost 30 years ago. An attorney for Combs said the rapper would move to have the judgment dismissed.
R&B vocalist Casandra Ventura sued Combs in 2023 accusing him of serial physical abuse, sexual slavery and rape during a 10-year professional and romantic relationship. She agreed to an undisclosed settlement in November 2023, and Combs strongly denied the allegations.
Combs is one of the most influential producers and executives in hip-hop and was a hugely successful performer.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan; Editing by Stephen Coates)
