U.S. prosecutors on Thursday unveiled a new indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs accusing the hip-hop mogul of forcing employees to work long hours and threatening to punish those who did not assist in his two-decade sex trafficking scheme. Combs, 55, still faces a scheduled May 5 trial in Manhattan on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
“Mr. Combs has said it before and will say it again: he vehemently denies the accusations” made by federal prosecutors, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement. “He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will.”
Combs has also denied all allegations of wrongdoing in dozens of civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct.
While the new indictment added no new charges, it described what prosecutors called the “forced labor” that Combs demanded in connection with the racketeering conspiracy.
Credit: NBC