As the legal ramifications of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mounting lawsuits continue to play out in the court of public opinion, things may soon be taking centerstage in an actual courtroom soon.
On Thursday, it was revealed that federal investigators were preparing to bring a handful of his accusers of before a federal grand jury signifying a potential impending indictment for the hip-hop mogul. According to CNN, potential witnesses have already been contacted by federal authorities. Individuals who’ve filed civil cases against the Bad Boy producer have also been contacted and interviewed though no one has officially or specifically been “prepped for testimony.” Some of those being questioned have also turned over evidence that they feel is relevant to the case.
Additionally, the feds are also in contact with people shown on video recordings taken inside Diddy’s homes. They have not specified whether or not the recordings are the ones taken from the raids of Diddy’s L.A. and Miami homes or a part of the evidence some of their witnesses handed over. However, what is clear is that they’re seeking to question individuals who show up in the footage as a part of their investigation.
What’s more, the entirety of the probe covers accusations of money laundering, illegal drugs, and sex trafficking—the latter of which was most notably a factor in the federal racketeering casein New York against disgraced R&B singer R Kelly in which he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Speaking in an interview for the bombshell Rolling Stone piece on Diddy’s history of bad behavior, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes who played a part in convicting Kelly said:
“Sex trafficking is certainly a potential component of a pattern of racketeering, or it could be charged on its own. The indictments of R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell — high-profile individuals who long evaded real accountability by law enforcement — offer prosecutors a playbook for a possible prosecution of Sean Combs.
With cooperating witnesses, video evidence, damning lawsuits, and a precedent for similar high-profile offenders, it seems as if Diddy’s reign as hip-hop’s ultimate Bad Boy may finally be coming to an end.