Breaking: Federal Agents Raid Diddy’s Homes in LA and Miami Amid Reported Sex Trafficking Investigation

Photo Credit: Alexander Vaughn / Reckless Dream Photography / CC by 2.0

Federal agents are reportedly raiding Diddy’s homes in connection with a sex trafficking investigation, and an abuse case filed against the artist by a producer isn’t being dismissed after all. However, two defendants have been voluntarily dropped from the action. Word of the raids emerged on social media and in a report from TMZ this afternoon, while the dismissal motions just recently entered the court docket, after different updates yet indicated in mid-March that the suit, filed by producer Rodney Jones, had been settled.

But additional evidence quickly revealed that the settlement notice had made its way into the docket due to a clerical error. As a result, the suit is ongoing against Diddy (real name Sean Combs) as well as his son Justin, Universal Music Group head Lucian Grainge, and others. Furthermore, Diddy is facing (and has denied) abuse allegations in multiple other complaints.

Shifting to the apparent federal investigation, the mentioned outlet has reported that agents raided Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami simultaneously, ostensibly in connection with a sex trafficking probe. At the time of writing, few concrete details, except for pictures and clips of the many well-armed federal agents at hand, were available about the reported raids.

Some of the footage appears to show 54-year-old Diddy’s sons, the noted Justin as well as King, in handcuffs. And according to Fox 11 coverage of the LA home’s Department of Homeland Security raid, three or more individuals have been taken into custody.

Returning to the shortened defendant list in the complaint from Jones, which encompasses several allegations concerning Diddy’s “widespread and dangerous criminal sex trafficking organization,” former Motown CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam is no longer a party to the suit. According to the corresponding notice, Jones has dismissed the action against Habtemariam with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be refiled.

Digital Music News reached out to Habtemariam for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publishing. However, the Love Album: Off the Grid producer Jones, whose RICO complaint details all manner of alleged misconduct across north of 70 pages, didn’t paint the former UMG exec Habtemariam in a very flattering light.

Per the all-encompassing action (which features some especially sensitive personal details, seemingly unrelated to the case, that should have perhaps been omitted), Habtemariam, Grainge, and other execs were paraded around Diddy-hosted “parties filled with sex workers, minors, and illegal drugs, such as ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, and mushrooms.”

And at least as the plaintiff sees (or saw) it, Habtemariam, upon allegedly sponsoring and attending The Love Album listening parties, “knew or should have known that Mr. Combs was drugging the attendees through laced bottles of DeLeon Tequila, and Ciroc Vodka.”Moreover, among a number of other things, Grainge, Habtemariam, and UMG allegedly “provided large amounts of cash to Mr. Combs” to help conceal from law enforcement the illegal “commercial sex acts” allegedly committed by Diddy.

Moving beyond this quick look at the now-shelved allegations against Habtemariam, Jones also dropped Chalice Recording Studios from the case – albeit without prejudice. Per the legal text, the plaintiff intends to refile against Chalice in Los Angeles as opposed to New York, where the initial action was submitted.