Sean "Diddy" Combs was once a name to be reckoned with when it came to the most anticipated parties in the entertainment industry.
It was a chance for fans to mingle with some of the world's top celebrities, who were lavish names on guest lists, such as Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Jennifer Lopez. Even Jay-Z and Beyoncé dropped new tracks at his rallies.
Rob Shuter, a publicist who worked for the superstar in his heyday of fame, tells Fox News that you knew "you were going to have an amazing night" when Diddy flirtatiously winked at you and beckoned you inside the V.I.P. section.
His famous former client now sits in a jail cell himself, albeit one on the other side of New York City. The Hamptons aren't far from Brooklwhere he used to hold court over extravagant celebrity bashes.
The swift downfall of Mr Combs, the target of an expansive federal criminal complaint accusing him of a sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Some 12+ civil suits have also been lodged, which claim the music mogul of assaults, rape and sexual coercion. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they represent more than 100 alleged victims who were sexually abused.
The Harlem-bred rapper has maintained his innocence in criminal accusations and in any involvement in civil charges.
A spokesperson for Diddy has since denied the allegations, saying to Fox News: "Mr Combs is not guilty of any crime and defendant categorically denies these unfounded shocking allegations."
His trial will take place in May 2025.
King of the parties, Lusting for a crown
Sean "Diddy" Combs, the king of New York nightlife and celeb bashesAs he started to work for the rapper,, Mr Shuter, who worked from 2002-04 for Diddy, recalled that at this point in his career,, Mr Combs was very focused.
In 1993, Mr Combs created Bad Boy Records, which counted some of the biggest names in hip hop on its books—among them Notorious B.I.G. B.I.G.her. He launched his Sean John clothing line in 1998, which soon morphed into a cultural brand. He then moved into fragrances and booze and even launched a media company, hosting several reality series where he would find unknowns and make them famous.
When he first stepped into the rapper's world, Shuter revealed Combs had a new image to project and a career lift in mind. Hopingarties could be used to keep him at the epicentre of all things entertainment.
He was starting to learn that he would gain the most attention as party king of New York.
Mr Shuter added: Mr Combs is a man obsessed with power, desperate to stay famous as his immediate instinct.. the star loves power and pi,x, and he wants Ackerman to shut up. Keeping Diddy on top was his job, and he did. He was the "ringmaster" of his circus; I was part of that entourage.
He denied ever seeing any sexual misconduct. "I've witnessed that balance of power," he said. I have never seen what is now being alleged, which is brutal.
The reason he was such a poppin man is because all this nigga talk about is Diddy. Mr Shuter told Fox News: "From the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to bed. "Diddy's hobby is Diddy."
He adds: "Mr Combs, too, apparently had a profound fixation with the British royal family. He recalled being asked to put ringside tickets on the royal credit card for all their "favourite stars" (sort of a 'how long and how much....?' kind of question) more than ten times over telephone calls asking him to call Harry, William or Helicopter.
He liked to say, "I was the king, so why not two princes with me?" The rapper used to keep framed pictures of his sons in a lavish New York apartment.
Mr Combs said that both Harry and William never took him up on an offer
Declining the music mogul was a different story — for not many others said no.
'Diddy had metal detectors from an airport': "There were always guns around Diddy," Mr Shuter said of the rapper. "It was strange."
Shuter described guns scattered throughout the rapper's house. In his own living quarters, security guards had guns strapped to their ankles. Combs and his crew were airtight—their security was as strong as their vanity.
If you want to be Diddy… all the people who influenced your life need to have been tight. He was not sloppy, sloppy new him.
Lawsuits: White now has dark-side parties
The rapper resided on the street in Beverly Hills, which is recognized as the priciest neighbourhood in Los Angeles.
High fences hide A-listers from snooping photographers. Just a few doors away is Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion.
Flaming torches day and night illuminate the fortress-like gates of Mr Combs' estate.
His neighbours told the BB.B.C.C.they had called the police numerous times over his parties.
The figures were revealed after the BB.B.C.C.made a freedom of information request and found that officers attended 14 parties at P Diddy's mansion over seven years.
Neighbours on the street, who did not want to be named because of the importance of discretion and privacy in such a place, gave privately similar accounts. Still, those who anonymously opened up to BB.B.C.C.News said it was immoderate behaviour they simply couldn't escape.
One neighbour said, "It was a party house for six or seven years. I saw girls coming out of there at all times, sitting on the street—they didn't even know where they were."
She told the court "they looked like they were lost" and that "their underwear was showing".
Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian were among those in attendance at the 2006 White Party event.Among the locations hosting Mr Combs' annual "White Party" from 1998 to 2009 was his Beverly Hills, California mansion.
He started the parties in East Hampton, NY, where he made all-white a way of life for more than 12 years when it came to party attire. Hisvents seamlessly integrated old-money iconoclasts at home on exclusive Main Beach and upstarts from around the block.
Mr Combs called the parties a means to bang through racial and generational divides.
That, however, was a "facade" for the year's hottest party to cover up some "sinister" allegations in a lawsuit.
This week, a man -- who was 16 at the time -- in a lawsuit referred to his excitement over being invited to Mr. Combs's inaugural "White Party" in 1998. Upon entering the Hamptons mansion he began to notice celebrities and entertainment moguls were everywhere. He testified in the lawsuit that he felt being part of the party could be a star for a music career. T.M.Z.Z repor T.M.Z.Z. Mayweather told police he was going to the restroom and ran into They went to the back of a private room and talked. According to the suit, Mr Combs said the kid "got a look” that he could have anyone up there and no one would care.
Then things took a turn. The lawsuit says Mr Combs told the then-teenage boy to pull down his pants when suddenly he began looking him over rather than touching him.
In the lawsuit, Mr Combs called it "a rite of passage" and added that Hazle was ready to go around the globe because he wanted to be a star. He also allegedly added: "Don't you want to make it a career?
Two other lawsuits revolve around the parties. One …
The White Party lasted for 25 years, but one former adult film star claims she was groomed into sex trafficking overtime after working at multiple events where the alcohol — laced with drugs – left her unsure of how those close to party leaders ever could have consented. And yet another, also filed this week by a man who says he wants to remain anonymous, surrounded events at the 2006 White Party. He claimed in the lawsuit that he worked security for the event, where beverages were allegedly spiked with narcotics and said Mr Combs assaulted him sexually.
Dozens of civil suits have been filed accusing the music executive of sexual assault, rape and extortion in total. Alleging that they were threatened or pressured into sex, either by Combs himself or by people he was with, both men and women have brought these suits. Some claim they said yes out of fear of Mr Combs' power in the entertainment industry. Others claimed that their careers were called upon or opportunities were stripped from them when they refused Mr Combs's leadership commands.
His lawyer has since said the lawsuits are "full of falsehoods" and that they were obviously designed to generate attention. A spokeswoman for the rapper said described claims of impropriety at his infamous shindigs are completely untrue Fox News.
Sean Combs has the most iconic white party or event was a true mixture of hip-hop Hollywood and black excellence.
It is disheartening to see the media twist and use these cultural moments in this way. This is simply deceptive and unfair: Shaming them for their attendance, manipulating video clips in misleading ways to oversensationalize photos out of context, and Linking these events with false allegations.
The lawsuit was filed by singer Cassie — who dated the rapper on and off for nearly a decade beginning in 2007 — and accuses the mogul of systematically controlling her every move, forcing her to have unbearable dosages of drugs, fucking other men against his will when he wanted because all women are WHORES OR BITCHES, beating for years & often threatening death not only -bur-those close yo hear life such as raping them if they(!) left.
The singer — who, in a lawsuit that opened the floodgates of rape allegations against the rapper, said she discovered after being briefly involved with Mr Combs he had an "extremely loyal" network that would do anything for him.ReadAsStringAsync(Date18 hours ago)
"Noting that she 'lacked power', the lawsuit read, which further stymied her from reporting Mr Combs to law enforcement as doing so would not change Mr Combs's rank or influence but give [him] yet another reason to abuse her."
Cassie, born Casandra Ventura, also claimed in the lawsuit that Mr Combs's record label warned her about being blackballed and said "her single would not be released if she did not answer Mr Combs's phone calls" once when she tried to leave him.
Once more, Combs' attorneys have denied the claims, releasing a statement to B.B.C.C News earlier this week saying: "This is an example of people taking due process as collateral damage when they form internet mobs. Puffy has never been accused by anyone, and what boils down to something from two years ago or retweeted and run wild now does nothing but sully his name along with the value of MeToo laws."
'Courage is contagious'
Numerous lawsuits describe claims of rape at parties held in Mr Combs's properties, but "Freak-off" hotel room parties seem to be a special area of interest for federal prosecutors. Last month, a 14-page indictment charged him with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, transporting drugs to further prostitution.
Mr Combs has been charged with recording sex acts on videos in "Freak Offs," which federal authorities defined as dayslong orgies that involved numerous prostitutes.
According to the indictment, Mr. Combs and his team reserved hotel rooms, covering them with narcotics such as ketamine (a hallucinogenic drug favoured by some orgy participants for its sexual kicks), lubricant over extra linens, while intoxicants are also known on lust-capade fests; special lighting was installed to document threesomes or group sex orgies.
Court documents read that Mr Combs "hit, kicked [and] threw objects as victims during the 'Freak Offs'", causing injuries which could take up to weeks to heal.
Participants were alternatively threatened with drugs, the prosecution has stated in an indictment, to keep them "obedient and compliant". Prosecutors allege those involved would then take IV fluids to recover.
Ms Ventura's lawsuit, which she filed in November 2013 - nearly a year before his indictment in New York - contains lurid descriptions of these alleged "Freak-Off" parties. The lawsuit claims Mr Combs would host such events every week in his New York and Los Angeles hotels, flying sex workers to the parties with drugs including ecstasy, cocaine and ketamine, which he used to pressure the singer into performing oral sex.
Law enforcement found AR-15-style rifles and a lot of ammo during the raids in Mr Combs's Los Angeles and Miami homes.
Mr Combs's arrest and the crisis that has since expanded to affect his career have raised hopes of activists and victims of sexual violence on what is likely looking like a front when it comes to reforms in an industry that many argue remains shamefully backwards, r even treats women not much better than slaves - as if they are cinderellas night curl dressers at their own homes; just out long enough before rape but free sooner (h/tN.Y.Y Times).
Gloria Allred, a high-profile women's rights lawyer who has represented many women speaking out in the #MeToo movement, said we could witness a "historic watershed moment" for the music industry.
She is acting for Thalia Graves, who says she was drugged and sexually assaulted by the star in 2001. Allred said she was threatened by Mr Combs and did not speak out because he would "ruin her life", the woman who asked to be referred to publicly as Jane Doe in court papers alleges.
However, Ms Allred told the B.B.C.C. that she believes the aftershocks from Diddy's arrest are nearly over.
"Bravery is catching," she told me.
Prosecutors and lawyers for the growing list of Mr. Combs's accusers have hinted at more, as well.
Authorities say the case remains an active investigation.
Wearing a beige prison jumpsuit, Mr Combs mouthed "I love you" to his family as he left court. He held up both of his hands towards them, the pair facing each other except for two fingers that were together.
After the hearing, a cluster of people gathered around some double doors on their tiptoes, where he would emerge to show support for the rapper.
The media storm surrounding the rapper, at least for his former assistant, is ironic.
"[He] used to want so desperately to make himself the most famous person on Earth, and ironically, I guess he finally did it," Shuter said of Kelly.
Contributing: Christal Hayes
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