The mother of Justin Dior Combs, the son of embattled mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, has accused federal agents who raided Combs’ Holmby Hills mansion on March 18 of “overzealous” and “overtly militarized force” during their investigation.
Designer Misa Hylton on Tuesday posted security footage on Instagram from the Homeland Security Investigations raid that showed dozens of federal officials executing a search warrant at the 17,000-square-foot residence and accused them of racism. The warrants stem from an ongoing sex-trafficking investigation — run by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York — into the influential Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder, who has been dogged by legal issues and allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct for years.
Entertainment & Arts
Music mogul and rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who’s facing multiple lawsuits, is the subject of a sweeping sex trafficking probe that resulted in a federal raid of his L.A. and Miami homes.
March 28, 2024
The footage, which The Times has confirmed is from a home security system, shows agents dressed in military gear pointing a gun toward one son and a laser at another.
Combs has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the allegations. Hylton’s son and Christian “King” Combs, one of Diddy’s three sons with the late Kim Porter, were briefly detained at the Holmby Hills residence but were not arrested, The Times has confirmed.
“The over zealous and overtly militarized force used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable,” Hylton wrote. “If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression. The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young BLACK MEN is despicable!”
The designer said that “several laser beams from firearms” were pointed at her son’s chest and that Christian had a gun pointed at the back of his head while he was detained, highlighting those instances in the video clip she posted.
Music
In the wake of multiple lawsuits filed against him, former members of Combs’ inner circle told The Times that his alleged misconduct against women goes back decades.
Dec. 13, 2023
The “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper was not at the Los Angeles-area home at the time. Sources with knowledge of the situation told The Times that the father of seven was scheduled on March 18 to depart by plane for a spring break vacation with his school-age daughters but opted to delay the trip after learning of the search. He still has his passport, they added. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Hylton said that her son’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, was “investigating the excessive use of force which was unnecessary and certainly not required by this search warrant.” Lichtman’s office did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.
“We will fight for justice utilizing every imaginable resource. I’m not with the propaganda!!!!” Hylton said.
California
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs remains in the United States and vows to fight sex trafficking allegations, sources close to the music legend said.
March 27, 2024
Federal authorities have said little about the case.
But law enforcement sources told The Times that Combs is the subject of a sweeping inquiry into sex-trafficking allegations and sexual assault.
The investigation comes after four women filed civil lawsuits accusing Combs of rape, assault and other abuses, dating back three decades. One of the allegations involved a minor.
His former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, accused him of rape and repeated physical assaults and said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes in front of him. Joi Dickerson-Neal accused Combs in a suit of drugging and raping her in 1991, recording the attack and then distributing the footage without her consent.
California
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs remains in the United States and vows to fight sex trafficking allegations, sources close to the music legend said.
March 27, 2024
Liza Gardner filed a third suit in which she claimed Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her. Hall could not be reached for comment.
Another lawsuit alleges that Combs and former Bad Boy label president Harve Pierre gang-raped and sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl. Pierre said in a statement that the allegations were “disgusting,” “false” and a “desperate attempt for financial gain.”
Combs has not been charged with any crimes and has denied the allegations in the civil suits.
Sources with knowledge of the operation who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss it publicly said it appears investigators searching Combs’ Holmby Hills home emptied safes, dismantled electronics and left papers strewn in some rooms. Federal agents disabled his security system and seized the hard drive, sources told The Times.
California
Legal experts say it could take time to build a criminal case against the hip-hop mogul but note that civil lawsuits against him could offer investigators a road map.
March 26, 2024
Hylton’s remarks echo a statement released by Combs’ criminal attorney last week criticizing the feds for their “gross overuse of military-level force.”
“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” attorney Aaron Dyer said at the time. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations.”
The 54-year-old billionaire has spoken only through his attorney since the raids, but on Sunday, Combs returned to Instagram to mark Easter on behalf of his youngest child.
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Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.
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Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016.
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