Diddy charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for prostitution

nme.com:

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to legal documents.The rapper and music mogul is expected to appear before a judge later today (September 17), where the charges will be read.

If convicted, he could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.Diddy was arrested in New York on Monday (September 16) after being indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan.

The arrest followed a string of sexual misconduct allegations filed against him over the past year.He is charged with “a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals” that spanned “decades”.

According to the indictment, Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” (per Variety).Federal prosecutors allege that Combs manipulated these women through drugs, asserting control over their careers, wielding his financial power over them and subjecting them to violence and punishment.