Prosecutors in the US have issued 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 alleged two-decade sex trafficking scheme.
Combs, 55, still faces a scheduled 5 May 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 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 alleged was the "forced labour" that Combs demanded in connection with the racketeering conspiracy.
It alleged that Combs and his associates "maintained control" over some employees by forcing them to work long hours with little sleep, through the use of or threats to use physical force, financial harm, psychological harm, and reputational harm.
"In doing so, Combs, assisted by members and associates of the enterprise, caused these employees to believe they would be harmed - including by losing their jobs - if they did not comply with his demands," the indictment alleged.
The indictment also alleged that such pressure caused one unnamed employee "to engage in sex acts with Combs".
In a letter to US District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversees the case, prosecutors said they expect to provide Combs's lawyers with additional details by 10 March.
They asked that Combs be arraigned on the new indictment on 14 March.
In his statement, Agnifilo said many of Combs's former employees "stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work, and inspiration they experienced while helping build ground-breaking, award-winning businesses".
Prosecutors allege that Combs's sex trafficking scheme ran from 2004 to 2024.
Many of the civil lawsuits were filed under a 2022 New York City law giving alleged victims of gender-motivated violence a window to sue even if statutes of limitations had expired. The deadline to sue expired at the end of February.
Combs is in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial.
Source: Reuters
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