Sean “Diddy” Combs has been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
The rapper-turned music mogul was arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.
The arrest of Combs, 54, came after 10 months of facing civil allegations including rape, sexual assault, and forced drugging.
The indictment detailed allegations dating to 2009 and accused him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
Sean P. Diddy Combs. Pic: AP
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to try to get his client released from custody.
Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was recognised as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop until November, when former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years.
She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fuelled settings.
The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor.
After the video aired, Combs apologised, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”
Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse.
He has denied many of those allegations.
They include a woman claiming the singer had raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
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A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes.
Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.
Following the indictment on Tuesday, Combs’ lawyer, Mr Agnifilo, said his client’s “spirits are good” and he was “confident”.
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