A closer look at the federal investigation into Sean “Diddy” Combs

CNN
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Months after singer Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs, his life looks very different.

The man who worked his way up from record label intern to creator of his own music empire, Bad Boy Records, was once a popular figure with enough influence to launch a recording career, launch successful clothing and liquor lines, and even create a voting movement.

Those days seem to be over.

In her lawsuit filed in November, which has since been settled, Ventura accused Combs of raping her in 2018 and abusing her for years over the course of their relationship. In the past six months, he has been named in seven more lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and other illegal activities. Combs has vehemently denied the claims in many of the civil suits, but has not responded to all of the allegations.

After CNN released a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs physically attacking Ventura, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the incident, which it called “extremely disturbing,” had already passed the statute of limitations.

However, the video could become evidence in an ongoing federal investigation into Combs and sex trafficking allegations. CNN has learned that investigators are preparing to bring Combs’ accusers before a grand jury in New York, according to two sources familiar with the investigation.

This suggests that the US Justice Department may be seeking criminal charges against Combs. Authorities are “digging deeper” into the civil lawsuits, combing through them for possible witnesses and evidence against the star, one of the sources told CNN.

Federal investigators are also investigating allegations of money laundering and illegal drug trafficking, CNN learned.

“It’s about much more than just these lawsuits,” said one of the sources familiar with the scope of the investigation.

Here’s a closer look at what’s been revealed so far about the federal case.

Authorities raided Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles on March 25 because he is the target of a federal investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the lead investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to a senior federal official familiar with the case. The investigation stems from many of the same allegations of sexual assault made in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the raids.

HSI is responsible for investigating transnational crimes and threats, including human trafficking, terrorism, drug smuggling and other organized crime activities.

A spokesman for HSI declined to comment on the existence of a grand jury, but noted that the investigation is ongoing.

A lawyer for Combs objected to the manner in which the searches were conducted.

“There was a massive abuse of military force in the execution of search warrants at Mr. Combs’ residences,” Aaron Dyer, Combs’ attorney, said in a statement to CNN at the time. “There is no excuse for the excessive use of force and hostility by authorities or the manner in which his children and associates were treated.”

Two of Combs’ adult sons, 30-year-old Justin and 26-year-old Christian, were arrested and briefly handcuffed during the execution of the search warrant at his Los Angeles mansion. They were neither arrested nor charged.

Justin’s mother, stylist Misa Hylton, was also upset about the way her son and his brother were treated.

“The overzealous and overtly militarized use of violence against my sons Justin and Christian is reprehensible,” she wrote in a social media post in April. “Had these been the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been treated with the same aggressiveness. The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young BLACK MEN is despicable!”

Hylton is not Christian Combs’ biological mother. He is the son of the late Kim Porter, with whom Sean Combs also has twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie, now 17 years old.

The raids on Combs’ homes came weeks after Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a former producer and videographer for the music mogul, filed suit against him. Jones accuses Combs and others of extortion, sexual assault and sex trafficking in 2022 and 2023 when Jones was working on Combs’ latest album, “Love.” Jones also claims Combs did not compensate him for his work as a music producer.

Ventura also accused Combs of sex trafficking, allegedly accusing her of using threats of violence to force her to perform various sexual acts with male sex workers.

“The decision to settle litigation, particularly in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” said Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, when Ventura’s lawsuit was settled.

Another attorney for Combs denied Jones’ allegations, calling his claims “lies.”

“His reckless name-dropping of events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to grab headlines. We have overwhelming, irrefutable evidence that his claims are complete lies,” attorney Shawn Holley told CNN when the lawsuit was filed.

During raids, authorities typically look for evidence that confirms laws have been broken. Examples of items commonly seized include computers, cell phones and documents. Both Jones and Ventura claimed there was video evidence of some of the alleged crimes.

Possible video evidence is currently the focus, as a source has told CNN that federal agents are in possession of video footage taken inside Combs’ recently raided apartments. It is unclear if the video was seized during the raids or if investigators obtained the video footage from people they interviewed.

“They are contacting people they found on the tapes,” a source told CNN.

At least one male sex worker who claims to have been a victim of Combs has been interviewed during the investigation, a source said. The source added that that person was seen in footage in the possession of federal investigators.

Although no federal charges have been filed against Combs, law enforcement sources suggested that the Justice Department’s successful efforts to prosecute disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly in 2022 could serve as a model for the current sex trafficking investigation into Combs, depending on what evidence emerges.

In the Kelly case, federal agents with HSI secured a conviction on organized crime and sex trafficking charges based on Kelly’s years-long attempts to exploit his fame to entrap victims he had sexually abused.

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – also known as RICO – is a law aimed at so-called criminal organizations and provides for heavy penalties that can also be used as leverage for prosecutors seeking to persuade potential co-conspirators or encourage defendants to confess.

There is no known timeline for potential federal charges against Combs, but if his sex trafficking investigation is viewed as an attempt to uncover a criminal organization involving third parties, greater effort would be required on the part of federal agents to prove the elements of a possible conspiracy.

“When prosecutors bring RICO charges, they have to prove more to support their case – that a criminal organization exists, that the defendant was a member of that organization, and that the crimes are connected to that organization,” said Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. “But it also gives prosecutors a powerful tool to dismantle large criminal organizations.”

A source told CNN that investigators were being careful and taking their time to ensure that any charges, if any, would be “bulletproof.”

CNN’s Sandra Gonzalez, John Miller, Elizabeth Wolfe, Eric Levenson, Denise Royal, Holmes Lybrand and Carlos Suarez contributed to this report.