{"id":2639,"date":"2024-09-17T15:25:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T15:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/sex-trafficking-racketeering-charges\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T15:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T15:25:06","slug":"sex-trafficking-racketeering-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/sex-trafficking-racketeering-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Sex Trafficking & Racketeering Charges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\n\tFederal prosecutors on Tuesday (Sept. 17) unsealed a criminal indictment of Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs over sweeping allegations of sexual abuse, accusing the once-powerful rapper of running a racketeering conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.<\/p>\n

\n\tLess than a day after the rapper was arrested Monday in New York City, Manhattan federal prosecutors unveiled the substance of their case against Combs \u2013 accusing him of operating a criminal enterprise centered on his \u201cpervasive pattern of abuse toward women,\u201d according to the documents obtained by Billboard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor decades, Sean Combs \u2026 abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,\u201d the indictment reads. \u201cTo do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCombs, 54, is expected to be arraigned later on Tuesday at a Manhattan federal courthouse.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe charges against Combs come after a flood of civil lawsuits in which at least eight victims have sued him over allegations of sexual abuse, starting with a high-profile case filed last year by his longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura. That case quickly settled, but it was later corroborated by a widely shared video of Combs assaulting her at a hotel.<\/p>\n

\n\tCriminal charges against Combs were not unexpected. Federal agents carried out raids in March on his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, and multiple news outlets had reported that he was facing an ongoing investigation that included potential allegations of sex trafficking.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement on Monday, Combs\u2019 attorney Marc Agnifilo said: \u201cWe are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office. Sean \u2018Diddy\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Tuesday\u2019s unsealed indictment, prosecutors allege that Combs violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act \u2013 a law known as RICO that\u2019s often used to target mobsters and drug cartels. Over 14 pages of details, the government claims Combs operated a similar criminal racket, but one centered \u201cfulfilling the personal desires of Combs, particularly those related to sexual gratification.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCombs \u2026 used the Combs business, including certain employees, to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex,\u201d prosecutors write.<\/p>\n

\n\tMany of the allegations center on so-called \u201cfreak offs,\u201d which prosecutors describe as \u201celaborate and produced sex performances\u201d between victims and male sex workers during which Combs would masturbate. They allege Combs and his associates \u201cwielded the power and prestige\u201d of his fame to \u201cintimidate, threaten and lure female victims\u201d into his orbit, then used \u201cforce, threats of force, and coercion\u201d to get them to participate.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the freak offs, prosecutors claim Combs and others kept victims \u201cobedient and compliant\u201d by providing them with drugs, then subjected them to \u201cphysical, emotional and verbal abuse,\u201d including hitting and kicking them, threatening career repercussions, and blackmailing them with footage.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cVictims believed they could not refuse Combs demands without risking their financial or job security,\u201d prosecutors write. \u201cCombs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to the RICO allegations, the indictment also accuses Combs of federal sex-trafficking laws and a federal statute barring the transportation of sex workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday (Sept. 17) unsealed a criminal indictment of Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs over sweeping allegations of sexual abuse, accusing the once-powerful rapper of running a racketeering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1907,1078,461,2338],"class_list":["post-2639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lawyers","tag-charges","tag-racketeering","tag-sex","tag-trafficking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}