P Diddy pleads not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs - otherwise known as P Diddy - has pleaded not guilty after appearing in court on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

The hip-hop star was arrested late on Monday (September 16) in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

The indictment detailed allegations dating to 2008, saying the music mogul “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals”.

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Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse, including by his ex-girlfriend Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura in November 2023.

In the indictment, he is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes days-long sexual performances dubbed "Freak Offs" in the indictment.

He has denied many of those allegations, and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs, 54, would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to get his client released from custody.