Indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs details allegations of ‘Freak Off’ sex performances
Combs was arrested Monday and charged with three felonies.
An unsealed federal indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs alleges the music mogul arranged and filmed what he called “Freak Offs”: elaborate sex performances between female victims and male commercial sex workers.
The rapper and entrepreneur was arrested Monday, and charged with three felonies: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Combs and his associates of luring female victims “under the pretense of a romantic relationship,” and then forcing or coercing them “to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”
Combs referred to the performances as “Freak Offs,” according to the indictment, which notes he “arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded” the acts.
“Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers,” the indictment reads, noting Combs “distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant.”
Victims were sometimes filmed without their knowledge, according to the indictment’s allegations.
After the Freak Offs, Combs and his victims “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use,” according to the indictment.
At a press conference Tuesday, US Attorney Damian Williams, who is overseeing the case, said Combs “was violent” when he “didn’t get his way” in a “Freak Off.”
Williams cited an incident in March of 2016 when one victim was subjected to abuse caught on camera — an apparent reference to Cassie Ventura, a singer who previously filed a now-settled civil lawsuit against Combs.
“Combs kicked, dragged, and threw a vase at a victim in a Los Angeles hotel,” Williams said.
Combs has denied the allegations against him.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lawyer, told B-17 in a statement on Monday. “Sean “Diddy” Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
Agnifilo added that Combs “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Federal prosecutors allege in the indictment against Combs that for decades, the rapper and businessman “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” relying on employees and the resources of his business empire.
Members of the Combs’ enterprise including high-ranking supervisors, security staff, household staff, and personal assistants helped orchestrate the so-called Freak Offs by booking hotel rooms and stocking them with “required” supplies including drugs, baby oil, and lubricant, prosecutors said in the indictment.
“Combs subjected victims to physical, emotional, and verbal abuse to cause the victims to engage in Freak Offs,” the indictment alleges.
Prosecutors allege that the music mogul kept his control over the victims with physical violence, promises of career opportunities, and other coercive tactics that included giving and threatening to withhold financial support.
“During and separate from Freak Offs, Combs, among other things, hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair,” the indictment alleges. “These assaults often resulted in injuries that took days or weeks to heal.”
Prosecutors accused Combs of threatening victims’ careers and livelihoods, including if they resisted taking part in the Freak Offs.
“Victims believed they could not refuse Combs’ demands without risking their financial or job security or without repercussions in the form of physical or emotional abuse,” the indictment alleges. “Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims.”
Combs has been accused of sexual and physical abuse by former romantic and creative partners. The Department of Homeland Security raided his Los Angeles and Miami homes in March.
During the raids, the indictment says, law enforcement “seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”