Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The indictment against the music mogul was unsealed Tuesday. He was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami, the Associated Press reports. Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations. Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said outside the courthouse Tuesday that Combs would plead not guilty. “Obviously, he’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers,” said Agnifilo. “And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.”
Prosecutors allege Combs used force, threats and coercion to get victims to engage in acts with male sex workers that he called “Freak Offs,” which were often recorded and could last days. Combs’ employees facilitated “Freak Offs” by arranging travel, booking hotel rooms where they would take place and stocking those rooms with supplies, including drugs, baby oil, lubricants, extra linens and lighting, scheduling the delivery of IV fluids, and then cleaning the rooms afterward, the indictment said. "He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal," Agnifilo told Scripps News. One lawsuit was filed by R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, who charged Combs with rape and repeated physical and sexual abuse over the course of years. The lawsuit alleged that starting when she was 19, "Mr. Combs asserted complete control over Ms. Ventura’s personal and professional life, thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold."