Editing article

Title

Summary

Content

Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs won't be able to buy his way out of trouble if the federal sex-trafficking probe against him uncovers any crimes, according to a former investigator.Two of the Bad Boy Records founder's mansions were raided last week after a series of damning civil lawsuits accused him of trafficking sex, guns and drugs and other bad behavior. He settled the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-settles-lawsuit-one-day-after-ex-girlfriend-cassies-allegations-years-rape" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first lawsuit</a>, from R&amp;B singer Cassie, his ex-girlfriend whose real name is Casandra Ventura, a day after she filed it.But after she came forward, so did at least three women and a man, including a female who would have been under 18 at the time of her alleged sex assault."You can pay off folks in civil lawsuits to make them go away," said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent. "But that doesn’t work in a sound criminal investigation – especially on a federal level when it comes to sex trafficking allegations."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-accused-male-music-producer-sexual-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ACCUSED BY MALE MUSIC PRODUCER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT</a>Homeland Security Investigations agents descended on Combs' mansions <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Los Angeles</a> and Miami in connection with what law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital is a sex-trafficking probe. "After the Epstein debacle, folks know you won’t be able to just make these cases disappear," she added.And if the case goes to criminal court, there won't be a non-disclosure agreement.Derrick Parker, a former member of the NYPD's rap-related intelligence unit whose book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Notorious-C-P-Investigations-Hip-Hop/dp/0312352514" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Notorious C.O.P.</a>" delved into detail about and 1999 shooting in which Combs was acquitted at trial, predicted that more accusers will come forward and share their stories with investigators as well."Some of it may be a money grab because maybe he was disrespectful, but they saw the way that he paid Cassie off," he told Fox News Digital. "Cassie got paid quick, and the reason that she got paid quick is because she knows a lot."The raids came weeks after music producer Rodney Jones' lawsuit accused Combs of all kinds of misdeeds, including sexual grooming, covering up a studio shooting and allegedly bragging about "having law enforcement under control," "murdering people" and bribing witnesses and jurors in a high-profile New York City nightclub shooting.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rapper-sean-diddy-combs-homes-raided-homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAPPER SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS' HOMES RAIDED BY HOMELAND SECURITY</a>Combs and his then-girlfriend, the pop megastar Jennifer Lopez, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were arrested</a> after a December 1999 shooting at Club New York left three people injured. Lopez was never charged.Combs and another man were acquitted at trial. But his friend and protege, the rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, served a decade in prison for assault.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-lawsuit-names-50-cents-ex-girlfriend-one-music-moguls-alleged-sex-workers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS LAWSUIT NAMES 50 CENT'S EX-GIRLFRIEND AS ONE OF MUSIC MOGUL'S ALLEGED SEX WORKERS</a>Jones' lawsuit alleges that Lopez snuck a gun into the club for Combs and handed it to her boyfriend before gunfire erupted and injured three people.A surviving victim, Natania Reuben, told NewsNation last week that she watched Combs shoot her in the face – not Barrow.<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-life-star-island-exclusive-miami-enclave-billionaires-a-listers-call-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS' LIFE ON STAR ISLAND: EXCLUSIVE MIAMI ENCLAVE BILLIONAIRES, A-LISTERS CALL HOME</a>"I literally watched them pull out the guns," she told the station. "I had a clear point of view. I mean, for God's sake, I got shot in my nose."It's unlikely that Combs could be in trouble for the nightclub shooting, Parker said, because there's typically no federal nexus for a local gunfight, especially after he was already acquitted at trial. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-federal-raids-homes-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits-what-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS' FEDERAL RAIDS ON HOMES, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT LAWSUITS: WHAT TO KNOW</a>But other evidence from the civil lawsuits likely played a role in the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/executive/homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal investigation</a> and could turn out to be crucial in a potential criminal case."They’ll use a lot of the same evidence to build their case," she said. "Anyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence is mounting."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-declares-innocence-after-federal-agents-raid-his-homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS DECLARES INNOCENCE AFTER FEDERAL AGENTS RAID HIS HOMES</a>Ventura, in her settled lawsuit, had also accused Combs of forcing her to carry a gun for him. Jones alleged that the mogul was often "displaying and distributing guns" in his presence in order to "maintain dominion and control" over other people.Combs and his lawyers have denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The billionaire has also characterized the accusations against him as attempts for his accusers to secure a "quick payday."He has not been arrested.Photographs taken over the weekend show him in and around his waterfront Miami mansion.

Author

Link

Published date

Image url

Feed url

Guid

Hidden blurb

--- !ruby/object:Feedjira::Parser::RSSEntry
published: 2024-04-01 16:14:42.000000000 Z
entry_id: !ruby/object:Feedjira::Parser::GloballyUniqueIdentifier
 is_perma_link: 'true'
 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/us/sean-diddy-combs-cant-settle-feds-sex-trafficking-probe-former-fbi-agent
title: 'Sean ''Diddy'' Combs can''t ''settle'' with feds amid sex trafficking probe:
 former FBI agent'
categories:
- e54225a4-2a7d-5742-9966-837f1e955b39
- fnc
- Fox News
- fox-news/us/crime
- fox-news/us/us-regions/southeast/florida
- fox-news/us
- fox-news/us/crime/sex-crimes
- fox-news/us
- article
content: 'Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs won''t be able to buy his way out of
 trouble if the federal sex-trafficking probe against him uncovers any crimes, according
 to a former investigator.Two of the Bad Boy Records founder''s mansions were
 raided last week after a series of damning civil lawsuits accused him of trafficking
 sex, guns and drugs and other bad behavior. He settled the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-settles-lawsuit-one-day-after-ex-girlfriend-cassies-allegations-years-rape"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">first lawsuit</a>, from R&amp;B singer Cassie, his
 ex-girlfriend whose real name is Casandra Ventura, a day after she filed it.But
 after she came forward, so did at least three women and a man, including a female
 who would have been under 18 at the time of her alleged sex assault."You
 can pay off folks in civil lawsuits to make them go away," said Nicole Parker, a
 former FBI agent. "But that doesn’t work in a sound criminal investigation – especially
 on a federal level when it comes to sex trafficking allegations."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-accused-male-music-producer-sexual-assault"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ACCUSED BY MALE MUSIC
 PRODUCER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT</a>Homeland Security Investigations agents
 descended on Combs'' mansions <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/los-angeles"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Los Angeles</a> and Miami in connection with what
 law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital is a sex-trafficking probe. "After
 the Epstein debacle, folks know you won’t be able to just make these cases disappear,"
 she added.And if the case goes to criminal court, there won''t be a non-disclosure
 agreement.Derrick Parker, a former member of the NYPD''s rap-related intelligence
 unit whose book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Notorious-C-P-Investigations-Hip-Hop/dp/0312352514"
 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Notorious C.O.P.</a>" delved into detail
 about and 1999 shooting in which Combs was acquitted at trial, predicted that more
 accusers will come forward and share their stories with investigators as well."Some
 of it may be a money grab because maybe he was disrespectful, but they saw the way
 that he paid Cassie off," he told Fox News Digital. "Cassie got paid quick, and
 the reason that she got paid quick is because she knows a lot."The raids
 came weeks after music producer Rodney Jones'' lawsuit accused Combs of all kinds
 of misdeeds, including sexual grooming, covering up a studio shooting and allegedly
 bragging about "having law enforcement under control," "murdering people" and bribing
 witnesses and jurors in a high-profile New York City nightclub shooting.<a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rapper-sean-diddy-combs-homes-raided-homeland-security"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAPPER SEAN ''DIDDY'' COMBS'' HOMES RAIDED
 BY HOMELAND SECURITY</a>Combs and his then-girlfriend, the pop
 megastar Jennifer Lopez, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener">were arrested</a> after a December 1999 shooting at Club New York
 left three people injured. Lopez was never charged.Combs and another man
 were acquitted at trial. But his friend and protege, the rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow,
 served a decade in prison for assault.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-lawsuit-names-50-cents-ex-girlfriend-one-music-moguls-alleged-sex-workers"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ''DIDDY'' COMBS LAWSUIT NAMES 50
 CENT''S EX-GIRLFRIEND AS ONE OF MUSIC MOGUL''S ALLEGED SEX WORKERS</a>Jones''
 lawsuit alleges that Lopez snuck a gun into the club for Combs and handed it to
 her boyfriend before gunfire erupted and injured three people.A surviving
 victim, Natania Reuben, told NewsNation last week that she watched Combs shoot her
 in the face – not Barrow.<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-life-star-island-exclusive-miami-enclave-billionaires-a-listers-call-home"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS'' LIFE ON STAR ISLAND:
 EXCLUSIVE MIAMI ENCLAVE BILLIONAIRES, A-LISTERS CALL HOME</a>"I
 literally watched them pull out the guns," she told the station. "I had a clear
 point of view. I mean, for God''s sake, I got shot in my nose."It''s unlikely
 that Combs could be in trouble for the nightclub shooting, Parker said, because
 there''s typically no federal nexus for a local gunfight, especially after he was
 already acquitted at trial. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-federal-raids-homes-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits-what-to-know"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS'' FEDERAL RAIDS ON
 HOMES, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT LAWSUITS: WHAT TO KNOW</a>But other
 evidence from the civil lawsuits likely played a role in the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/executive/homeland-security"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal investigation</a> and could turn out to be
 crucial in a potential criminal case."They’ll use a lot of the same evidence
 to build their case," she said. "Anyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the
 evidence is mounting."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-declares-innocence-after-federal-agents-raid-his-homes"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS DECLARES INNOCENCE
 AFTER FEDERAL AGENTS RAID HIS HOMES</a>Ventura, in her settled
 lawsuit, had also accused Combs of forcing her to carry a gun for him. Jones alleged
 that the mogul was often "displaying and distributing guns" in his presence in order
 to "maintain dominion and control" over other people.Combs and his lawyers
 have denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The billionaire has also characterized
 the accusations against him as attempts for his accusers to secure a "quick payday."He
 has not been arrested.Photographs taken over the weekend show him in and
 around his waterfront Miami mansion.'
summary: Homeland Security Investigations&apos; federal sex trafficking probe comes
 after series of civil lawsuits cast scrutiny on hip-hop mogul Sean &quot;Diddy&quot;
 Combs.
rss_fields:
- title
- url
- summary
- categories
- published
- entry_id
- content
- image
url: https://www.foxnews.com/us/sean-diddy-combs-cant-settle-feds-sex-trafficking-probe-former-fbi-agent
carlessian_info:
 news_filer_version: 2
 newspaper: US general38
 macro_region: USA
image: https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/931/523/Diddy-Miami-HSI-inset.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Language

Active

Ricc internal notes

Ricc source

Show this article Back to articles