Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Miami and LA homes raided as part of sex trafficking probe amid growing lawsuits
Trigger Warning: This article mentions sexual assault and sex trafficking which may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Federal Homeland Security Investigations officials and other law enforcement agents reportedly raided two of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' houses in Los Angeles and Miami on Monday, March 25, as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the raid in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Federal officers were seen leaving the house, carrying bags and boxes containing equipment that were believed to be evidence.
Federal sources revealed that record label head Combs, 54, who was nowhere to be seen, also had his Miami house raided on Monday as part of a similar investigation, the New York Post reported.
Federal officials raid Sean Combs' home amid sex trafficking allegations
According to TMZ, Combs' personal jet, LoveAir LLC, had been tracked to Antigua in the Caribbean, even though it was later established that the rapper was not on board.
A police perimeter was established in the affluent Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles, and a minimum of two men were placed in handcuffs.
Helicopters could be seen circling overhead as armed Department of Homeland Security officials broke into opulent homes on the East and West Coasts of the country.
The agents congregated around the pool in the backyard of the house, all of them wearing vests. Police dogs were seen assisting many policemen as they carried evidence boxes and bags to a van.
"Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners," a Homeland Security Investigations spokesperson told Daily Mail in a statement.
"We will provide further information as it becomes available," the spokesperson added. The reason behind the raids was not immediately confirmed by authorities.
The nature of the probe was not further explained in the statement. With extensive authority, HSI can look into the sex trafficking industry as well as the unauthorized entry, exit, and transit of people, products, money, and contraband into and within the United States.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs embroiled in several legal disputes
The investigation occurred only a few weeks after a sexual assault complaint alleging Combs' involvement was filed and an injunction was issued for the accuser's identity to be made public.
The music entrepreneur and rapper has been embroiled in several legal disputes, one of which involves an unidentified woman who alleges she was raped by him and two others when she was 17 years old.
On Monday, March 22, Rolling Stone revealed that the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York previously conducted interviews with "four Jane Does and one John Doe for a probe related to alleged sex trafficking, domestic violence and racketeering," with additional interviews planned.
The woman will reportedly stay unidentified until the judge decides on Combs' move to have her case dismissed.
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York oversaw the investigation after Combs was accused of sex trafficking in a federal court case brought by a former girlfriend in November, per Reuters.
Combs asserted his innocence and claimed the people making the accusations were merely seeking for "a quick payday." Ben Brafman, his attorney in New York, did not immediately reply to Reuters's requests for comment.
