Federal agents handcuffed hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday evening in New York. Following his arrest, the indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, revealing more disturbing allegations against the entertainer. Combs was charged with three counts: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs’ arrest indicates that his long-overdue reckoning is here. And we have his former partner and music artist Casandra “Cassie” Ventura to thank for her bravery in exposing his alleged cruel and abusive behavior throughout the years with the lawsuit she filed last November.
For powerful men like Diddy, it’s rare for them to be publicly held accountable for their vicious actions — let alone the possibility of actual justice being served. When it comes to sexual assault and rape cases, the justice system is typically not on the side of women who come forward. On top of the worries of retaliation from their offenders and backlash from society, the fear of not being believed is another reason that leads to victims not reporting their abuse. According to a report from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, rape is the most under-reported crime, with 63% of sexual assaults not being reported to the police.
Ventura revealing Combs’ alleged wrongdoings, which had been lurking in the shadows for nearly two decades, was a commendable act of courage. Campaigns such as the #MeToo movement have sparked viral conversations that encouraged more women to vocalize the sexual violence they experienced. As a result, the #MeToo movement has led to the convictions and sentencing of powerful men such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly. Now, Combs is seemingly next on the list to pay for his alleged crimes.
As stated in the indictment, 2009 is estimated to be the start of Combs’ alleged abuse. According to the 14-page document, New York prosecutors accused the businessman of creating a “criminal enterprise” that for decades abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Among claims of his abusive behavior, the indictment also alleges his participation in “sex trafficking,” “forced labor,” “kidnapping,” and other horrendous crimes. Among the charges, the indictment details events in which Diddy allegedly coerced multiple women into “elaborate and produced sex performances” with sex workers, according to prosecutors, which were dubbed “freak offs,” making them sound like harmless parties, instead of the disturbing acts that are described in the court documents that can only be interpretted as one thing: rape.
While Diddy pleaded not guilty in a New York court after his arrest, he was denied bail and will remain in federal detention. Back in March, Homeland Security Investigations raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami as a slew of allegations against him continued to grow. However, his recent arrest and indictment are the latest shocking developments in his ongoing legal issues.
A week before Monday’s shocking turn …read more
Source:: Refinery29
