JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was arrested late Monday night in New York and indicted on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. This is just the latest legal trouble for Combs, who is also facing multiple civil lawsuits. Here to talk with us about the charges against the musician is NPR music reporter Sidney Madden. Hey there.
SIDNEY MADDEN, BYLINE: Hey.
SUMMERS: So Sidney, start if you can by telling us a little more about these charges against Combs.
MADDEN: So Combs is being indicted on three counts - racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and interstate transportation of prostitution, which basically means transporting sex workers across state lines. And news just broke within the last hour that after pleading not guilty on all these counts, Combs has been denied bail and will have to stay in jail until he goes to trial. Now, this 14-page indictment starts the timeline of Diddy's crimes at around 2008 and accuses him of having, quote, "abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and just conceal his conduct."
SUMMERS: Sidney, how do Combs' musical empire and business ventures fit into this indictment?
MADDEN: I mean, that's a major factor in this indictment and one that makes it stand apart from everything else he's faced in the past year because the allegations in this are that Combs used his music and his business empire to fuel all of these illegal activities. So the indictment spells out how employees at the Bad Boy Entertainment company and Combs Enterprises operated to collude and condone and protect Combs' behavior. It details how he summoned people to get him illegal drugs, solicit sex workers, cover up bouts of assault, pay people off, literally clean up hotel rooms after he assaulted people and made messes. It shows the whole organization as what it calls a criminal enterprise.
SUMMERS: And how has Combs responded to these charges?
MADDEN: Combs has responded through his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, who released a statement last night when news first broke of the arrest. Agnifilo said - we are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is unjust prosecution. And earlier today, outside of the courthouse, he said that they knew the indictment was coming, although they were surprised by the timing of the arrest, the late-night arrest. And he maintains that the music mogul is not guilty of these charges, and they're going to fight it. But if Combs is found guilty of all of these counts, he's facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and a max of life in prison.
SUMMERS: And as we mentioned, Combs is also facing a series of civil lawsuits. Sidney, how have those played out over the last year?
MADDEN: Yeah, I mean, those are clearly inextricably connected to this criminal filing into this indictment. So since last November, he has been hit with a slew of civil lawsuits, starting with one from his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura. She was really the first one to come forward with these allegations of longtime abuse and manipulation, especially - and it was especially shocking because they were such a forward-facing public couple. And since her case has been settled out of court, a lot more accusers have come forward - former dates of his, former employees, another singer named Dawn Richard, a choreographer, a producer of his. These civil suits spell out the same type of predatory behavior and abuses of power that's being alleged in the criminal suit, so it's clearly paralleled and clearly connected.
SUMMERS: NPR Music's Sidney Madden. Thank you.
MADDEN: Thank you.
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