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Sean 'Diddy' Combs Indicted on Sex Trafficking Charges. Aired 11:30a-12:00p ET

Aired September 17, 2024 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KAREN ATTIAH, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I would want to hear questions about what exactly the strategy is in this last sprint, and not just about Harris, but also about downballot.

[11:30:05]

The -- we have superstars, Democrat black men in the party who also could be and should be and hopefully will be making the case for Harris. So I don't only put it on her in that way, but I think it's definitely a broader question for Democratic strategy when it comes to black voters.

We are just not all a monolith at all.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And we're going to have live coverage of a Kamala Harris meeting with these black journalists at the NABJ later this afternoon around 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Karen Attiah of "The Washington Post," thanks very much for joining us.

ATTIAH: Thanks, Jim (sic). Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: And coming up: Sean "Diddy" Combs charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Any moment, prosecutors will be holding a press conference will have live coverage.

Our own Kara Scannell outside the courthouse for us -- Kara.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're standing by waiting for U.S. attorney Damian Williams to begin that press conference.

Then Sean Diddy Combs himself is expected to appear in court behind me around 2:30. More after the break.

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BLITZER: All right, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is speaking now about the latest charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

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DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: ... at least 2008 and the present, Combs abused, threatened, and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.

As alleged in the indictment, to carry out this conduct, Sean Combs led and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that used the business empire he controlled to carry out criminal activity, including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and the obstruction of justice.

Let me say a little bit more about the charges. The indictment alleges that Combs abused and exploited women and other people for years and in a variety of ways. As alleged, Combs used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers, some of whom he transported or caused to be transported over state lines.

Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called freak-offs, and he often electronically recorded them. The freak-offs sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics, such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB, which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant.

As alleged, when Combs didn't get his way, he was violent, and he subjected victims of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse so that they would participate in the freak-offs, and that Combs hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times by their hair.

[11:35:10]

On one occasion in March of 2016, that conduct was captured on video and later reported in the media. Specifically, Combs kicked, dragged, and threw a vase at a victim in a Los Angeles hotel when the victim was attempting to flee.

As alleged, these assaults often resulted in injuries to the victims, which took days or weeks to heal. In addition to the violence, the indictment alleges that Combs threatened and coerced victims to get them to participate in the freak-offs.

He used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the freak-offs as collateral against the victims. And the indictment alleges that he maintained control over the victims in several ways, including by giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts, and even by dictating their physical appearance.

Because of all of this, the indictment alleges that the victims did not believe they could refuse Combs without risking their security or facing more abuse. The indictment also alleges other acts of violence undertaken by Combs and others, including violence against witnesses to his abuse, kidnapping, and arson.

The indictment alleges that, on more than one occasion, Combs carried or brandished firearms to intimidate and threaten victims and witnesses. Now, Combs did not do this all on his own. As I mentioned, Combs has been charged with RICO conspiracy. He used his business and employees of that business and other close

associates to get his way. Those individuals allegedly included high- ranking supervisors in the business, personal assistants, security staff, and household staff.

The indictment alleges that those individuals facilitated the freak- offs. They booked the hotel rooms and stocked them with the supplies, including drugs, baby oil, personal lubricant, extra linens, and lighting.

When the hotel rooms got damaged, they helped clean it up. They arranged for victims and commercial sex workers to travel for the freak-offs, and they delivered large quantities of cash to Combs to pay for the commercial sex workers.

The indictment also alleges that they helped Combs cover up his crimes. During the March 2016 incident at the L.A. hotel that I mentioned earlier, a member of the hotel security staff intervened, and Combs attempted to bribe the staff member with a stack of cash to make sure that what happened was kept quiet.

And as the indictment alleges, in late 2023, after public allegations were made about Combs' crimes, he and others pressured witnesses and victims to stay silent, including by making phone calls to witnesses and victims and giving them a false narrative of what they had experienced.

And, as alleged, Combs used others to help conceal his abuse by monitoring and preventing victims from leaving a location in order to hide their injuries or by locating and contacting a victim who had attempted to flee.

As part of this investigation, in March of this year, special agents from HSI executed search warrants at Combs' residences in Miami and Los Angeles. They also executed a warrant for Combs' electronic devices. During those searches, agents seized evidence of the crimes charged in this indictment.

They seized firearms and ammunition, including three defaced AR-15s and a large capacity drum magazine. They also seized evidence of the freak-offs, electronic devices that contain images and videos of the freak-offs with multiple victims. And they seized cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs' staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak-offs, more than 1,000 bottles altogether.

Here are some of the items that we recovered during the searches. As you can see here, this is a drum magazine, large-capacity, and it contains, I believe, 59 rounds. I mentioned as well that we recovered three AR-15s. This is a close-up shot of one of the AR-15s, and you can see right here the serial number has been thoroughly defaced. Another picture of more ammunition and parts of two AR-15s right there.

[11:40:00] Now, I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be. No one should doubt our commitment on that.

A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City. Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York. Second, we are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly. Anyone with information can call 1-877-4-HSITIP.

I want to express my deep appreciation for the victims and witnesses who have used their voices and helped bring this criminal conduct to light. We would not be here without them. I also want to thank the dedicated case agents on the HSI Trafficking in Persons Squad in New York. They have been with us since day one and have worked tirelessly on this investigation. They will continue to be invaluable partners to us.

I also want to thank the incredible agents and analysts from SDNY who have also provided tremendous assistance on this case. I'm deeply grateful for their continued work.

And, finally, I want to thank the outstanding career prosecutors from SDNY who were handling this case, Meredith Foster, Emily Johnson, Christy Slavik, Madison Smyser, and Mitzi Steiner, their supervisors, Jamie Bagliebter and Jacqueline Kelly.

They are members of the Civil Rights Unit in our Criminal Division. We created the Civil Rights Unit when I became U.S. attorney. I am deeply proud of their work on this and so many other cases.

I will now take some questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aaron Katersky, ABC.

QUESTION: Damian, thanks.

The indictment describes aggressive, open, violent, hedonistic abuse that you say was recurrent and widely known. Why did it take law enforcement so long to intervene? How many women were victimized by Sean Combs and how many others were involved?

WILLIAMS: Look, our investigation is ongoing. We are committed to bringing justice to everyone who's been victimized by the defendant.

I can't tell you why it took so long. I think the better focus is on the fact that we are here today. And we are committed to making sure that justice is done.

Next question.

QUESTION: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Julia Ainsley, NBC. QUESTION: Thank you for doing this.

You said we are not done and that Combs did not do this alone. Do you foresee that there could be other charges related to this case?

WILLIAMS: I'm not taking anything off the table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Janon Fisher, Newsday.

QUESTION: What's the difference between sex trafficking and promoting travel for the purpose of prostitution?

WILLIAMS: Well, they are different crimes with different elements. I don't think we should get into the nitty-gritty of the legal discussion right now, but the sex trafficking, we believe -- they're all serious offenses, but the sex trafficking conduct carries some significant penalties.

And we are gratified that we were able to bring that charge.

QUESTION: One more coercive than the other?

WILLIAMS: I'm not going to be able to get into that, but you can look it up. and, yes, sex trafficking, especially when it involves coercion or force, is a very serious crime and it carries significant penalties.

QUESTION: Good afternoon. Darla Miles, ABC7 New York. Thank you for this press conference and for the details.

Two questions. In context of this indictment and the information that was presented to the grand jury, are you able to clarify the number of victims? It's mentioned plural in the indictment, but can you specify the number of victims just for this particular indictment? And, secondly, can you provide details about the alleged arson?

WILLIAMS: Unfortunately, I'm not able to provide either. The number of victims, you are correct, we are intentional in saying multiple. The details of the arson incident are limited to what we have in the indictment and also the detention letter that we filed, which contains more details than the indictment does at various points, but we don't have anything more beyond that.

Next question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Linh Tran, CNN.

QUESTION: Are any of his accomplices or associates under investigation? And, additionally, could he face any more charges?

WILLIAMS: So the investigation is ongoing. That means both as to him and to anyone else who we believe committed the crime with him.

Next question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Juliet Papa. QUESTION: Hi, good morning from 1010 WINS.

Any indication that some of the women or victims here were imprisoned in his residences? And did he have locations where he kept them and they were not allowed to leave? And, also, he's indicted here, although there were searches and raids in L.A., Miami. Why in New York?

[11:45:19]

WILLIAMS: Well, I'm biased. I'm the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. I think that we have an outstanding track record of bringing some of the most impactful, sprawling, complex, difficult sex trafficking, human trafficking, labor trafficking, you name it. The Southern District of New York can do it, and so we're very proud of that.

And so the scope and complexity of this investigation isn't something that we ran from. It's something that we embrace, and we will continue to do that.

As to your question about whether he imprisoned anyone, all I can say is that I mentioned this March 2016 incident where something was caught on video where a victim was attempting to flee and there was violence that was associated with it.

QUESTION: Was that at the residence or (OFF-MIKE)

WILLIAMS: That was at a hotel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matthew Lee, Inner City Press.

QUESTION: Thanks a lot.

Does your office intend to seek remand or are you reaching a bail package? And if you're willing, how would you contrast this with the R. Kelly case in EDNY in terms of the elements? Thanks.

WILLIAMS: So, we will be seeking detention. We have filed a letter laying out our reasoning for seeking pretrial detention. I'm not going to be able to expand beyond what's in the letter, but it contains all of the reasoning and it contains the law as well.

There is a presumption of detention in a case like this and we think that's warranted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Annese, "New York Daily News."

QUESTION: Thank you.

I was hoping to get some more detail about the searches of his residence, the guns, the cases of lubricant and the videos. Where were they found amongst his residence? Were they all scattered around the houses, in one place? So I kind of wanted to just get a better picture of how that stuff was found. WILLIAMS: Well, look, I think that some of the details that you're

seeking are in the detention letter. So, for instance, some of the AR- 15s, two of the three defaced AR-15s were found in his bedroom closet in Miami, broken down into parts, along with magazines, with ammunition loaded in them.

So some of that detail is in the detention letter. Beyond that, I'm not going to be able to get into where other items were stored.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ben Kochman, "Post."

QUESTION: Hey.Thanks for doing this.

Your office was the office that had been prosecuting Jeffrey Epstein before he died in custody. I have not read your detention memo yet. It's the first thing I'm going to do after this ends. But does it -- does the memo address or is your office concerned with Combs' safety in custody, given what happened with Epstein?

WILLIAMS: So we are concerned with anyone's safety whenever they are detained prior to trial. It's part of our obligations to keep people safe as well. It's part of the criminal justice system.

So -- but I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein's suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial. And, of course, the decision whether to detain the defendant will be up to a judge. Our position is that pretrial detention is warranted under the law and based on the facts of this case.

And I will leave it at that.

QUESTION: Are some of the prosecutors on this case some of the same prosecutors that had been handling that or that worked on the Maxwell case?

WILLIAMS: So, I'm not going to get into the staffing. I will say that this team, this group of AUSAs, this incredible group, has been working on this case around the clock and they have had their hands full.

Next question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gus Rosendale, NBC News.

QUESTION: Good morning, sir.

Combs' attorney said that his client has been cooperative with investigators. He said that this morning. I was wondering if you would have a reaction to that.

WILLIAMS: Let me just say this. I think that, generally, with increasing frequency, the word cooperative or cooperating has taken on tremendous elasticity and it no longer really bears any relation to what the word means when we use it in a very specific context.

So, responding to lawful process and the like does not qualify as cooperation when we use that term here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike Sisak, AP.

QUESTION: Thanks.

To that end, was there any discussion of Mr. Combs surrendering? I understand he was taken into custody at a hotel in Manhattan last night and maybe that wasn't the plan. Can you elaborate on how that came about and why that was?

[11:50:09]

WILLIAMS: I'm not going to be able to get into any sort of operational details as to how he was taken into custody and when.

He is in custody right now. He will be appearing in court later today.

QUESTION: Was there any discussion of him surrendering, given they claim he's cooperating?

WILLIAMS: I'm not going to be able to get into law enforcement tactics or operations.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

WILLIAMS: Well, I can't get into the charging decision. It is very meaningful to us that weapons were possessed. As we allege in the indictment, part of the reason why this conduct was so pervasive and harmful was because victims and others didn't necessarily feel comfortable denying him his wishes, as we allege, because of the presence of firearms.

I should leave it there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks. Last question, Jacob Shamsian.

QUESTION: Jacob Shamsian, "Business Insider." Thank you.

Given that he's the sole defendant in this case and that you alleged he's part of a conspiracy that involves members of his companies, do you anticipate a superseding indictment that will bring allegations against other members of his companies or other co-conspirators as well?

WILLIAMS: Again, I can't take anything off the table. Anything is possible. Our investigation is very active and ongoing. And I think a lot of you who cover this office know that when we say such things, that developments are certainly foreseeable. But I cannot predict them sitting here today.

All right, thank you, everyone.

BLITZER: All right, so there you have Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which, of course, includes New York City right there, outlining this case, these charges that have been filed now, sex trafficking and racketeering against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Kara Scannell is our correspondent. She's just outside the courthouse.

You have been watching and reporting on this extensively, Kara. first of all, tell us what Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers are saying about this.

SCANNELL: Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers are saying that he's going to plead not guilty when he does appear before a federal judge later today. They say that they are going to fight like hell to try to get him released on bail.

But you just heard from Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and that office is seeking detention. They do not want Sean "Diddy" Combs to walk out of this courthouse today. I was just reading through the detention letter that they filed with the court, and they lay out a number of reasons, including Combs' history of violence.

They report, according to their allegations, that he has kicked, shoved, abused women for years. They also say that he is a flight risk because of his access to money and planes.

They also note a number of weapons that they recovered in the search of his homes in L.A. and Miami earlier this year, including some serious weapons that they included pictures of at that press conference, saying that he has access to weapons, both himself and through his security staff, noting that some of his security staff are criminals, in fact.

They also say that another reason why Diddy should be detained is because he has tried to obstruct this very investigation, saying that he has tried to tamper with witnesses, had reached out to a number of witnesses in this investigation, asking them to create what he said was -- what the U.S. attorney's office said was a false narrative, and some of those conversations were actually recorded on the phone of one of the co-conspirators, according to the U.S. attorney's office -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Kara, stand by. I'm going to get back to you.

Elie Honig is with us.

Elie, you're a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. You know a lot about this case. When we heard Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, just say they will seek pretrial detention,that means that they're not going to allow bail to let this guy walk around; is that right?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Exactly, Wolf.

And this is the memo that Damian Williams kept on referring to. I have now read it. Kara just talked a little bit about it. Prosecutors are going to argue to a judge that Sean Combs needs to be locked up from now until his trial. And, ordinarily, when you make that argument, Wolf, as a prosecutor, you argue either the person is a danger or the person is a risk of flight, might take off.

Here, in this memo, prosecutors argue he's both. They say he's a danger. He's used physical violence. They talk about firearms. And they say he might take off. They talk about the fact that Sean Combs is facing under this charge if he's convicted a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.

And prosecutors argue that, given that, he has an incentive to flee. In fact, prosecutors say Sean Combs has offered up a $50 million bail package, 5-0. And prosecutors say that's not even enough to ensure that he will return to court and that he will remain safe.

A couple other important details, Wolf, that are in this memo that Damian Williams alluded to. First of all, Damian Williams was asked how many victims and he said multiple. Well, that doesn't give us much detail, but this document filed by his office says dozens of victims, plural. So we're talking at least 24, 25 or more victims.

[11:55:14]

And, also, it explains the arson. Essentially, there was a robbery that Sean Combs was allegedly involved in, and they ended up throwing a Molotov cocktail into an individual's car. So that's where the arson piece comes from.

BLITZER: Yes, racketeering, sex trafficking, and arson, a lot of charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Stand by.

Josh Campbell is with us as well.

Josh, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, just said they're not done by any means. This investigation is ongoing. Give us your sense of what he's suggesting.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're alleging that his business was a criminal enterprise, and this is a racketeering case. So there are others involved.

We know from this indictment, Wolf, they're alleging the members of the security staff, his administrative staff, his household staff, and others were also involved. And so we're waiting to see if others will indeed be charged, the U.S. attorney there saying that this remains an ongoing investigation.

Wolf, they're also calling on any additional witnesses to come forward if they have additional information.

BLITZER: All right, Josh Campbell, Elie Honig, Kara Scannell, to all of you, thank you very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining me. I'm Wolf Blitzer. I will be back later tonight 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Stay with us right now, "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" starts right after a very short break.

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