Federal prosecutors have expanded the indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs, adding two new charges that further allege his involvement in sex trafficking as recently as last year.
The superseding indictment, filed on Friday, accuses the Bad Boy Records founder of using force, fraud, or coercion to compel a woman—identified as Victim-2—to engage in commercial sex acts from 2021 to 2024. It also claims that Combs transported Victim-2 and others, including commercial sex workers, for the purpose of prostitution during the same period.
These latest charges bring the total number against Combs from three to five. He was initially indicted on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges when he was arrested in September.
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Currently held in a federal jail in Brooklyn, the 55-year-old music mogul is set to stand trial on May 5. His arraignment on the new charges has yet to be scheduled, though prosecutors have requested it be held during his final pretrial conference on April 25. His representatives are yet to make a comment following the new charges.
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This is the second superseding indictment filed against Combs. The first, in January, outlined allegations involving at least three women whom prosecutors say he forced into commercial sex acts. It also included claims that Combs once brandished a firearm at a female victim during a kidnapping and, in another instance, dangled a woman over a balcony.
While the January indictment did not add new charges, it extended the alleged racketeering conspiracy’s timeline by four years, now dating it back to 2004 instead of 2008.
Combs has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to the original charges, which accuse him of orchestrating a years-long pattern of coercion and abuse with the help of associates. Prosecutors say his network used intimidation, blackmail, and violence—including kidnapping, arson, and physical assaults—to silence victims.
READ ALSO: What’s next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after his not guilty plea to the latest indictment?
A central piece of evidence in the case is a March 2016 video showing Combs hitting and kicking his then-girlfriend, Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors assert that the attack took place during one of Combs’ so-called “Freak Off” events—drug-fueled, orchestrated sexual encounters involving female victims and male sex workers.
His legal team has pushed back against the case, arguing that the allegations distort consensual relationships. They are actively seeking to dismiss a charge related to Combs allegedly transporting a male escort across state lines.
“The government has concocted a criminal case based primarily on allegations that Mr. Combs and two of his longtime girlfriends sometimes brought a third party—a male escort—into their sexual relationship,” his attorney, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, wrote in a February court filing.
Shapiro further argued that “each of the three charges in the case are premised on the theory that this type of sexual activity is a federal crime.”
READ ALSO: Woman withdraws civil lawsuit alleging rape by Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at age 13
