4 hours ago
1
Sean "Diddy" Combs Accused of Blackmail Campaign to Sway Witnesses From Jail
Ana Gasteyer’s memories of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Saturday Night Live quality are not each that fond.
The 57-year-old, who was a formed subordinate connected the unrecorded sketch drama amusement from 1996 to 2002, precocious recalled 1 of Diddy’s philharmonic impermanent appearances erstwhile helium was promoting his 1998 opus “Come With Me.”
“Famously, erstwhile P. Diddy came, he, of course, unopen down the full building,” Gasteyer shared connected the Nov. 20 occurrence of the Las Culturistas podcast. “You cognize SNL, you tin archer the 5 a--holes successful the six years I was there. They’d beryllium like, ‘So and truthful is successful the building. Everybody enactment successful your dressing rooms.’ Which is applicable if you’re a statesmanlike candidate, but isolated from that, truly it’s my house.”
However, the shaper and rapper “demanded a wholly closed set,” according to Gasteyer, who shared that helium had recruited the New York Philharmonic to execute with him and had sealed disconnected the stage.
But that didn’t halt Gasteyer’s fellow formed member Will Ferrell from going into the country successful a quality helium called Ron, pretending to beryllium confused and walking crossed the stage. And according to the Mean Girls alum, the determination didn’t play well.
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
“He truly did not rotation with it,” she noted of Diddy. “He was precise uncomfortable. The artifice of each the faux importance.”
E! News has reached retired to Diddy's attorneys for remark but hasn't heard back.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
In a question filed connected Nov. 15 and obtained by E! News, national prosecutors assertion the rapper made "relentless efforts to interaction imaginable witnesses" by utilizing telephone entree codes (known arsenic PAC numbers) belonging to different inmates to marque calls to individuals who are not connected his approved interaction list.
Prosecutors besides assertion that the 55-year-old utilized a third-party connection work called ContactMeASAP and three-way calling with radical connected his approved interaction database to "obscure his communications."
The prosecution listed an Oct. 4 telephone betwixt Diddy and one of his big sons—the details of which were redacted successful tribunal documents—as an illustration that "provides the wide inference that the defendant's extremity is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into soundlessness oregon providing grounds adjuvant to his defense."
E! News antecedently reached retired to Diddy's attorneys for remark but hasn't heard back.
For much a implicit usher into his ineligible saga, support reading.
GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images
Search Warrants Executed connected Sean "Diddy" Combs' L.A. and Miami Properties
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed hunt warrants astatine Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties connected March 25, aggregate instrumentality enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.
The sources told the outlet the warrant was retired of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed instrumentality enforcement actions arsenic portion of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our section instrumentality enforcement partners.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC News the euphony mogul was successful the Miami country erstwhile the hunt warrants were executed.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
News astir the probe broke aft Combs faced allegations of intersexual misconduct successful lawsuits filed by aggregate accusers starting successful November, with the instrumentalist denying the allegations.
“Sickening allegations person been made against maine by individuals looking for a speedy payday,” helium wrote successful a December connection posted connected Instagram. “Let maine beryllium perfectly clear: I did not bash immoderate of the atrocious things being alleged. I volition combat for my name, my household and for the truth.”
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Diddy’s Attorney Speaks Out
The time aft HSI executed the hunt warrants astatine Combs' L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out.
"Yesterday, determination was a gross overuse of military-level unit arsenic hunt warrants were executed astatine Mr. Combs' residences," attorney Aaron Dyer said successful a March 26 connection to E! News. "There is nary excuse for the excessive amusement of unit and hostility exhibited by authorities oregon the mode his children and employees were treated."
Dyer noted Combs “was ne'er detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”
“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor immoderate of his household members person been arrested nor has their quality to question been restricted successful immoderate way,” his lawyer's connection continued. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature unreserved to judgement of Mr. Combs and is thing much than a witch hunt based connected meritless accusations made successful civilian lawsuits.”
Toni Anne Barson/Getty Images
And Dyer expressed Combs' intent to support himself.
“There has been nary uncovering of transgression oregon civilian liability with immoderate of these allegations,” helium added. “Mr. Combs is guiltless and volition proceed to combat each azygous time to wide his name.”
Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean "Diddy" Combs
Details About the Raid Revealed
As for what really went down during the searches, aggregate instrumentality enforcement sources acquainted with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ location successful Miami earlier helium was scheduled to question to the Bahamas, and respective sources acquainted with the substance added that guns were discovered during the search.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock
One root acquainted with the substance besides told NBC News 3 women and 1 antheral were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York astir allegations of enactment trafficking, intersexual assault, the solicitation and organisation of amerciable narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.
Miami-Dade Police Department
Diddy’s Associate Brendan Paul Arrested connected Suspicion of Drug Possession
On the aforesaid time the hunt warrants were executed astatine Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, 1 of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade constabulary connected suspicion of cause possession, a instrumentality enforcement root acquainted with the substance told NBC News.
According to the Miami-Dade apprehension affidavit obtained by the outlet, Paul was taken into custody for allegedly possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy.
Prison records obtained by NBC News amusement Paul was released connected March 26 aft posting bond.
“We bash not program connected trying this lawsuit successful the media,” Paul’s lawyer Brian Bieber said successful a connection obtained by the outlet, “all issues volition beryllium dealt with successful court.”
In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s connection to licence his introduction into the diversion programme which, aft completion, the lawsuit against him volition beryllium dismissed successful its entirety."
Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean "Diddy" Combs
Diddy Arrested successful New York
He was arrested successful the lobby of a New York edifice connected Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It's unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the apprehension has immoderate imaginable transportation to the raids.
“We are disappointed with the determination to prosecute what we judge is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said successful a connection to E! News. "He is an imperfect idiosyncratic but Is not criminal. To his recognition Mr. Combs has been thing but cooperative with this probe and helium voluntarily relocated to New York past week successful anticipation of these charges."
The lawyer added, "Please reserve your judgement until you person each the facts. These are the acts of an guiltless antheral with thing to hide, and helium looks guardant to clearing his sanction successful court.”
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Diddy Charged With Sex Trafficking & Racketeering
After Combs was arrested based connected the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed connected Sept. 17.
The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; enactment trafficking by force, fraud oregon coercion; arsenic good arsenic proscription to prosecute successful prostitution, according to tribunal documents obtained by NBC News.
The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others astir him to fulfill his intersexual desires, support his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for much than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behaviour started astir 2008.
"To bash so," the documents stated, "Combs relied connected the employees, resources, and power of the multi-faceted concern empire that helium led and controlled—creating a transgression endeavor whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to prosecute in, among different crimes, enactment trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."
According to NBC News, Combs pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.
“He’s going to combat this with each of his vigor and each of his might,” his lawyer Marc Agnifilo told reporters extracurricular the courthouse anterior to the arraignment, “and the afloat assurance of his lawyers."
JOCE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Diddy Is Held Without Bail successful New York Facility
Following his arrest, Combs was held astatine the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center wherever helium was denied a $50 cardinal bond. The euphony mogul was besides placed connected termination watch, which a root told E! News is simply a customary process for high-profile inmates. He was since taken off.
He was assigned the aforesaid country of the jailhouse arsenic cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, a root told NBC News.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images / Instagram
Comedian Jeff Wittek Says He Attended "Freak Off"
Comedian Jeff Wittek, 34, came guardant Sept. 29 to accidental helium attended 1 of Diddy's "freak off" parties astir 2010 successful a Miami mansion.
"It was similar 8 stories precocious and it conscionable kept going up," Wittek said connected Jeff FM, "and the higher you went, the weirder s--t was going on."
"I saw unrecorded enactment hap that night," helium continued. "That's the archetypal clip I saw that hap ever successful my life. And did I partake? No, but I got f--king drunk there."
As Wittek enactment it, "It's conscionable crazy. I was virtually there. I lived done it."
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Diddy Accused of 120 New Sexual Assault Cases
In an Oct. 1 property conference, lawyer Tony Buzbee elaborate that 120 radical had travel guardant with caller intersexual battle allegations against the rapper.
The allegations against Combs, Buzbee noted successful a property league with NBC News, include, "violent intersexual battle oregon rape, facilitated enactment with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, intersexual maltreatment of minors."
A lawyer for the rapper, Erica Wolff, aboriginal responded to the allegations, emphasizing that Combs maintains his innocence.
“He cannot code each meritless allegation successful what has go a reckless media circus," she said. "That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies arsenic mendacious and defamatory immoderate assertion that helium sexually abused anyone, including minors."
George Pimentel/WireImage
Diddy Accused of Abusing Minors
One of the 120 accusers was lone 9 years aged erstwhile they were allegedly assaulted by Combs, their lawyer Tony Buzbee said successful an Oct. 1 property conference, per NBC News.
According to the attorney, “25 of the accusers were minors astatine the clip of the alleged incidents."
John Salangsang/BFA/Shutterstock
Diddy's Mom Janice Small Combs Defends the Rapper
“It is heartbreaking to spot my lad judged not for the truth, but for a communicative created retired of lies,” Janice’s attorney Natlie G. Figgers shared successful a connection connected her behalf to The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 6. “To carnivore witnesser what seems to beryllium similar a nationalist lynching of my lad earlier helium has had the accidental to beryllium his innocence is simply a symptom excessively unbearable to enactment into words. Like each quality being, my lad deserves to person his time successful court, to yet stock his side, and to beryllium his innocence.”
Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images & Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Lawyer Calls Out Piers Morgan Over Diddy Comparisons
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's lawyer spoke retired after Piers Morgan's TV impermanent Jaguar Wright claimed the mates had much “victims” than Diddy.
"There’s rumors, and past there’s nonsense, and this is 1 measurement further,” lawyer Alex Spiro told TMZ Oct. 9. “This is simply a ceremonial and pointed accusation of something.”
Their lawyer told Piers to “remove that mendacious accusation," which the big aboriginal did and apologized.
“As I noted successful the moment," Piers said connected his Oct. 8 show, "they were not contiguous to respond oregon support themselves. But present they have: their lawyer has contacted america to accidental those claims are wholly mendacious and person nary ground successful fact.”
English (US) ·