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- By Samantha Granville in Los Angeles and Phil McCausland
- bbc news
Watch: Aerial footage shows raids on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs properties
Properties linked to rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs were raided Monday by federal agents.
The Department of Homeland Security said it had carried out “police actions as part of an ongoing investigation” in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Two properties in Los Angeles and Miami were searched as part of the investigation.
Officials did not specify the reasons for the raids or whether they were linked to Combs.
Representatives for the hip-hop mogul did not respond to BBC requests for comment on Monday.
Several recent lawsuits have accused Mr. Combs of sexual misconduct. His attorneys have previously denied all allegations leveled against him in the lawsuits.
On Monday, Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting operations at the 17,000-square-foot mansion where Combs announced the release of his latest album last September.
The home address is associated with Mr. Combs’ Bad Boy Films production company. Located in the wealthy Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, the area is home to numerous celebrities and the Playboy Mansion.
Image source, fake images
Two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that the raids were part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
The BBC has not independently confirmed this report.
Last year, R&B singer Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York against Combs, whom she dated from 2005 to 2018.
In court documents, she alleged years of abuse at the hands of the rapper, although she later reached a settlement with him.
Two other women then filed their own lawsuits, accusing him of sexual abuse. A man also accused Combs of sexual misconduct.
Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Ventura and another alleged victim, said Monday that his clients supported police efforts.
“Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs accountable for his depraved conduct,” Mr. Wigdor said in a statement.
Combs remains one of the most influential and important hip-hop producers of recent decades.
He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and has won three Grammy Awards and has worked with top artists such as Usher and Mary J. Blige.
