Diddy breaks social media silence as sex-trafficking probe ‘set to widen to cover 1999 shooting’: Updates

Last month, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones published a bombshell lawsuit accusing rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and his associates of sexual assault.

The producer, who worked for Combs between September 2022 and November 2023, named several notable people in his lawsuit, including fellow musicians, British royalty and members of Diddy’s staff. In response, Diddy’s lawyer has claimed Mr Jones’ lawsuit engages “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not” occur.

The lawsuit re-emerged in headlines this week after federal agents raided Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida.

A statement from Homeland Security said law enforcement actions had been “executed as part of an ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners.” Meanwhile, Diddy’s lawyer Aaron Dyers called the raids “a gross overuse of military-level force.”

While Diddy is also facing several other lawsuits, Mr Jones’ filing is the most recent and most expansive legal attack on the rapper yet.

Here are the most notable people named in Mr Jones’ scathing lawsuit:

In an explosive lawsuit filed just one month before federal agents raided Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ homes, a music producer named several industry giants — and even British royalty — in court filings, Katie Hawkinson reports.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ past is back in the spotlight as a sweeping federal sex trafficking probe into the rapper is set to widen after agents raided his mansions in connection to the investigation.

The infamous Club New York shooting from 1999 and the sensational 2001 trial could possibly be re-investigated as part of the probe, two law enforcement officials told The New York Post.

In an explosive lawsuit from February that alleges Combs sexually assaulted music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones and forced him to have sex with sex workers, Mr Jones claimed Diddy was often “bragging about bribing witnesses, and jurors in the criminal case concerning the 1999 NYC nightclub shooting with Shyne”.

Diddy, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, his bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones, and rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, were arrested after the club shooting that injured three people.

Lawyers for the rapper and music mogul said there was “no excuse” for the “hostility” shown by authorities towards Combs’ children and staff members at the two properties.

The raids occurred on Monday at the hip-hop star’s mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, and his Miami Beach home on Star Island, in Florida.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has posted on social media for the first time since the raids on his homes in Miami and Los Angeles.

On 25 March, his mansions were raided by federal agents from US Homeland Security in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation. Diddy described the actions of agents as a “gross overuse of military-level force” and insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

Diddy took to Instagram for the first time since the raids on Sunday, sharing a series of photos of his toddler daughter.

“HAPPY EASTER from Baby Love,” he captioned the post.

The rapper made no mention of the current firestorm.

Combs, who faces a litany of sexual assault allegations, is said to have drawn guests to his infamous parties through his VIP associations with “celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry”, according to the legal notice.

The kitchen counters are covered in dust; a crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, coated in cobwebs. Around the huge rooms, furniture and pieces of decor sit in various states of disrepair.

The Bad Boy Entertainment founder bought the eight-bedroom, 16-bathroom home – which was built in 1987 – for $2.6m (£2m) from HJ Newton in 2003, and has never spoken about why he left it empty for so many years.

Read more from The Independent:

Homes belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by officials from US Homeland Security on Monday 25 March in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation.

The music mogul has issued one public statement via lawyers, but has kept a low public profile since the incident.

Here’s what you need to know: