Federal investigators are seeking communications records related to Sean “Diddy” Combs as part of an investigation into alleged sex trafficking, a source close to the investigation told The Times.
The news comes several days after the Department of Homeland Security issued search warrants at Combs' properties in Los Angeles and Miami. The hip-hop mogul has denied any wrongdoing in the sweeping investigation, which includes several lawsuits in recent months alleging assault and sexual harassment.
Investigators also requested flight records linked to Combs, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The musician remains in the United States, according to sources familiar with the situation, who said Combs was scheduled to leave on Monday by plane to spend spring break with his school-age daughters, but delayed the trip after learning of the searches. They added that he still has his passport.
He was seen playing golf with two of his daughters at a Miami-area driving range on Thursday night, the Daily Mail reports.
But on Monday, Homeland Security agents stopped a plane on the ground at Executive Airport in Miami, and the Miami-Dade police officers who accompanied them arrested Brendan Paul, a man in Combs' entourage. Authorities say they found candy containing cocaine and marijuana in his bag. Paul, 25, was described in a recent lawsuit against Combs as a closet and drugged “mule.”
Subpoenas are also being issued to companies doing business with Combs' empire, as first reported by TMZ, including a private charter company, a phone provider and computer companies.
On Monday, federal agents confiscated numerous electronic devices, including cell phones, according to a source familiar with the investigation. They also disabled Combs' security system at his Holmby Hills mansion and seized the hard drive, a source told The Times.
But there is still much unknown about this case and how close authorities are to deciding whether or not criminal charges will be filed.
Investigators who searched Combs' Holmby Hills home appear to have emptied closets, dismantled electronic devices and left papers scattered in some rooms, said sources familiar with the operation, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
This is consistent with what some legal experts say investigators would need if they tried to build a sex trafficking case against Combs.
Dmitry Gorin, a former Los Angeles County sex crimes prosecutor who now works in private law, said investigators will likely ask for a warrant “to search for videos or photographs on any devices connected to the target… anywhere they can be found.” Relevant digital images. of sexual conduct that would have been recorded.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, although two of Combs' sons were briefly detained at the Holmby Hills property.
The investigation into Combs is being directed by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
It comes after four women filed civil lawsuits accusing Combs of rape, assault and other abuse, dating back three decades. One allegation involved a minor.
A source familiar with the Department of Homeland Security's criminal investigation said investigators have interviewed some of the people linked to the sex trafficking allegations in the lawsuits against Combs.
The Department of Homeland Security investigates most sex trafficking for the federal government. Legal experts say one possibility of the agency's involvement in this case is that the women involved in the accusations against Combs could be from other countries.
“they have [in the Combs case] “We have convinced one or more federal judges that they have sufficient probable cause to issue one or more search warrants,” said Megan Blanco, a defense attorney who has handled sex trafficking cases. “Given the scope of the investigation, they appear to be further along than most investigations.”
Gorin said the allegations involving a minor could be the main focus of the investigation.
If a minor is transported across state lines for the purpose of having sex, “that's at least enough to have a discussion about sex trafficking because an underage person can't consent,” Goren said.
“Adult sex trafficking usually involves some type of coercion or other restrictions,” and can be more difficult to prove, he said. Prosecutors will have to prove that the person “encouraged someone to engage in sexual activity in exchange for money or other inducement.”
Aaron Dyer, one of Combs' attorneys, called the raids Tuesday a “witch hunt” and criticized the way they were conducted.
“There was a flagrant excessive use of force at the military level as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” Dyer said in a statement.
“This unprecedented ambush – coupled with an advanced and coordinated media presence – results in a premature rush to judgment against Mr. Combs, and is nothing more than a witch hunt built on baseless accusations in civil lawsuits. No criminal or civil liability has been found for any of these allegations.
