Authorities were conducting a raid inside a multi-million dollar home belonging to rapper and record producer Sean "Diddy" Combs in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of West LA Monday afternoon.
Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants at the LA mansion as well as a Miami property belonging to Combs, sources told NBC news.
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The raid may be linked to a possible sex traffic investigation, another source familiar with the matter told NBC News. The source added three Jane Does and one John Doe have been interviewed by the Southern District of New York in relation to sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms related Combs.
The source also said another three Jane Does have interviews scheduled.
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Newschopper4 was overhead as officials with protective gear and weapons were surrounding the property. Some of them were wearing jackets that noted they were from Homeland Security Investigations.
Video from Miami Los Angeles also showed federal authorities were present at the Florida property at the same time as authorities were raiding the LA mansion.
Combs was in the Miami area when the raids were taking place, according to law enforcement sources that are familiar with the warrant service.
Investigators also seized the phones of Combs, according to sources, as the rapper was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas. It was not immediately clear how many devices or phones were seized.
"Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners," the Homeland Security confirmed the raid in a statement.
Combs is facing a lawsuit by a woman, who accused Combs and two other men of raping her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17.
The woman, whose name wasn’t disclosed in the court filing, is the fourth person to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault.
In the lawsuit, the woman said she was in 11th grade at a high school in a Detroit suburb in 2003, when she met Harve Pierre, then the president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment record label, at a lounge.
She said Pierre flew her to New York on a private jet and took her to a recording studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol until she was incapable of consenting to sex. Then, the lawsuit said, Pierre, Combs and a man she didn’t know took turns raping her.
The lawsuit included photographs of the woman sitting on Combs’ lap that she said were taken on the night in question at the Daddy’s House Recording Studio.
Combs, 54, denied the allegations.
“For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” Combs said in a statement. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
