Content warning: this article details alleged violence as well as physical and sexual abuse.
New information has emerged regarding Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal troubles.
Just over a week after the rapper was taken into police custody in New York City and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, his lawyer Marc Agnifilois sharing his thoughts on Combs' alleged "freak offs" as well as the 1,000 bottles of baby oil that were seized from his home.
"I don't know where the number 1,000 came," Agnifilo explained to TMZ in a preview of their upcoming documentary The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment, released Sept. 25. "I can't imagine it's thousands."
When it was confirmed that the number came from the federal document, Combs' attorney was quick to add that he wasn't "really sure what the baby oil has to do with anything," although it was suggested during the interview that they were used as lubrication during orgies.
"I guess," Agnifilo replied. "I don't know what you need 1,000—one bottle of baby oil goes a long way. I don't know what you'd even need 1,000 for."
And as for why he believes the music mogul had such a large store of baby oil to begin with?
"He has a big house, he buys in bulk," Agnifilo claimed. "I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home."
He joked, "Have you sat in the parking lot of a Costco and see what people walk out of there with?"
And for the final number of a 1,000 bottles of baby oil, Agnifilo was hesitant to believe the quantity, saying, "I don't think it was a thousand. I think it was—let's just say it's a lot."
He also addressed the subject of Combs' "Freak Offs," telling TMZ, "They called them ‘freak offs.' But, you know, back when I was a kid in the late ‘70s, they were called threesomes."
In the federal indictment, obtained by E! News, the "Freak Offs" were described as "elaborate sex performances" during which female victims were compelled through "force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers."
The 54-year-old was also accused in the document of arranging, directing, masturbating during and often "electronically recording" the Freak Offs, as well as of transporting commercial sex workers "across state lines and internationally."
"During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant," the indictment read, adding the victims and Combs often received IV fluids to recover from the exertion and drug use. "Sometimes unbeknownst to the victims, Combs kept videos he filmed of victims engaging in sex acts with commercial sex workers."
The indictment also detailed the finding of the baby oil, explaining, "In or about March 2024, during searches of Combs' residences in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California, law enforcement seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant."
Combs was arrested in New York City on Sept. 16 and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution during a Sept. 17 hearing.
Days after he was taken into custody, a video of Bad Boys Entertainment founder from 1999 came to light in which he appeared to predict he would one day be arrested for his elaborate parties.
"You're gonna hear about my parties, they're gonna be shuttin' 'em down," Combs told Entertainment Tonight at the time. "They're gonna probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just ‘cause we wanna have a good time."
He added, "They won't even give me a permit for the parties, man. They don't want me to throw the parties no more. But we ain't gonna stop, we gonna keep on having fun. Bringing people together for all walks of life."
For a full breakdown of Combs' legal woes, keep reading.
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties on March 25, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.
The sources told the outlet the warrant was out of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC News the music mogul was in the Miami area when the search warrants were executed.
News about the investigation broke after Combs faced allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits filed by multiple accusers starting in November, with the musician denying the allegations.
“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a December statement posted on Instagram. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
The day after HSI executed the search warrants at Combs' L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out.
"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences," attorney Aaron Dyer said in a March 26 statement to E! News. "There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated."
Dyer noted Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”
“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way,” his lawyer's statement continued. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
And Dyer expressed Combs' intent to defend himself.
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he added. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
As for what actually went down during the searches, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ home in Miami before he was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas, and several sources familiar with the matter added that guns were discovered during the search.
One source familiar with the matter also told NBC News three women and one man were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York about allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.
On the same day the search warrants were executed at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, one of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police on suspicion of drug possession, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
According to the Miami-Dade arrest 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 show Paul was released on March 26 after posting bond.
“We do not plan on trying this case in the media,” Paul’s attorney Brian Bieber said in a statement obtained by the outlet, “all issues will be dealt with in court.”
In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety."
He was arrested in the lobby of a New York hotel on Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It's unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the arrest has any potential connection to the raids.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to E! News. "He is an imperfect person but Is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."
After Combs was arrested based on the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 17.
The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for more than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behavior started around 2008.
"To do so," the documents stated, "Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex 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 fight this with all of his energy and all of his might,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse prior to the arraignment, “and the full confidence of his lawyers."
Following his arrest, Combs was held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center where he was denied a $50 million bond. The music mogul was also placed on suicide watch, which a source told E! News is a customary procedure for high-profile inmates.
He was assigned the same area of the jail as cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, a source told NBC News.
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Andrea Williams is an opinion columnist for The Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network,
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