Is Diddy Going to Be Arrested?
Diddy is currently wrapped up in an abundance of legal issues, but is he going to get arrested?
Diddy's Legal Issues Continue
It all started when Cassie accused the Bad Boy Records founder of years of sexual abuse in November of 2023. The former couple settled the suit a mere 24 hours after the singer filed it, but multiple people have since come forward also alleging that Diddy raped them or committed other sexual assaults. Most notably, a Jane Doe claimed in a February lawsuit that in 2003, she was raped by Diddy and several others when she was just 17. Additionally, a male music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones also sued Diddy in February and claimed the mogul relentlessly sexually assaulted him during their time working on Puff's The Love Album: Off the Grid.
Diddy's growing list of legal issues all culminated with a massive police raid on his Los Angeles and Miami properties on Monday (March 25). The raid was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and was reportedly related to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation against Diddy. The raid was caught on camera by Fox 11 and TMZ. Multiple individuals were detained during the raid, including Diddy's two sons, King and Justin Combs.
More information has continued to come out in the wake of those raids, including that multiple firearms were found at two of the properties, and that all Diddy's electronics were seized. Additionally, a former Syracuse University basketball player named Brendan Paul was arrested and accused of being Diddy's drug mule. Diddy was right beside Paul during the arrest, which happened during the rapper's home raids. All the while, Diddy's attorney, Aaron Dyer, called the investigation a "witch hunt" and insisted his client was totally innocent in a statement.
“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated," the statement read. "Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way."
The statement continued, "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. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name."
Read More: Diddy Didn't Know His Homes Were Going to Be Raided - Report
Will Diddy Be Arrested?
While Diddy has not yet been arrested, legal experts predict an arrest could be imminent merely because of the large-scale operation conducted by federal authorities on Monday.
"Taking an overt step in investigating two homes means the investigation is well underway here," Nadia Shihata, who famously prosecuted R. Kelly for sex crimes in New York, told NewsNation on Wednesday (March 27). "They clearly have probable cause to believe that a federal crime has been committed and that evidence of that crime or multiple crimes would be found in the two locations that they searched. This is big news and if I'm P. Diddy or his lawyers I'd be very concerned at this point."
So while Diddy remains a free man for now, it's clear this investigation is far from over.
XXL has reached out to the U.S. District Attorney's Office - Southern District of New York, who declined to comment. XXL has also reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Diddy's legal team to confirm if any sort of formal arrest will be made in the case.