US federal agents raided two homes of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles and Miami as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation, AP reports.
It is unclear whether Combs was the target of the investigation. In a statement, Homeland Security Investigations said it "conducted law enforcement actions as part of the ongoing investigation."
A police column was posted around the Los Angeles home in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood near Beverly Hills. KABC-TV showed a group of agents wearing vests identifying them as Homeland Security Investigations gathered in the backyard of a house near a pool. A command post was set up outside the house and agents were still coming and going hours after the search began.
Several sexual assault lawsuits have been filed against Combs in recent months. In February, his music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to have sex with them. Combs' attorney, Sean Holley, said of the allegations that "we have overwhelming, overwhelming evidence that his allegations are completely false."
Combs' former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November, accusing him of years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit says he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them. The lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed.
Another of Combs' accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17 years old.
It is unclear whether the search is related to any of the allegations made in the aforesaid lawsuits.
Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the last three decades. Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop's largest empires, paving the way for several organizations associated with his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner.
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