Trouble came knocking on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ door in the form of the federal government late Monday in New York. With Diddy now in custody and set to face a federal grand jury— on top of all his other civil lawsuits— Hollywood is shaking in their boots waiting to see what exactly Puff Daddy’s trial will reveal.
You don’t become a billionaire mogul with direct ties to the most powerful people in the industry without keeping some secrets, making some enemies, and establishing even more powerful friends. So now, the word on the street is if Diddy goes down, he’ll likely take the Epstein route and implicate as many of Hollywood’s favorites as he can.
Combs’ indictment has just been unsealed, and the rapper was reportedly slapped with racketeering conspiracy (RICO) and sex trafficking charges, among other counts. The 14-page indictment against Diddy alleges “Members and associates of the Combs Enterprise engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other activities, sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
Shockingly— or not so much so— these federal allegations align almost exactly with other suits against Diddy from his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, singer Dawn Richard, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, and others. In their civil suits, it’s alleged that Diddy was in possession of compromising footage of Hollywood’s biggest stars including producer Stevie J, actor Cuba Gooding Jr., and even Diddy’s own son, Christian “King” Combs.
Outside of simply name dropping celebrities in lawsuits, it’s well-known that Diddy is connected with heavyweight shot callers in the industry. For years, rumors have festered about Diddy’s alleged shady, deep ties to rap moguls and models like Naomi Campbell— she was also listed in Epstein’s court documents— among others.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s been speculated for years that Diddy had direct involvement in the untimely deaths of rap legend Tupac Shakur in 1996 and former Bad Boy Records member Biggie Smalls in 1997. Even though there’s no solid evidence implicating him for now, Puffy’s former security guard, Gene Deal, continues to speak out against Combs, and in fact, Deal’s story hasn’t changed once.
Up until now, Diddy remained relatively untouched, clearly possessing the power and protection which allowed these alleged crimes to take place for decades. It’s still innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but we all know once the federal government hits you with RICO charges, it’s more than likely a done deal.
Like the rest of Hollywood, we’ll be biting our nails waiting to see exactly how Diddy’s indictment plays out. And more interestingly, we’ll be watching for who will go down with Puff Daddy’s sinking ship.