Diddy Under Investigation as L.A. Sheriff's Department Probes New Sexual Battery Allegation

Legal troubles continue to mount for Sean 'Diddy' Combs, even as the hip-hop mogul sits behind bars. Despite currently serving a federal prison sentence, authorities have opened a fresh inquiry regarding a disturbing incident alleged to have occurred half a decade ago.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed it has launched an investigation into a sexual battery allegation dating back to 2020, adding yet another layer of complexity to the disgraced musician's legal saga.

L.A. Sheriff's Department Scrutinises 2020 Incident

The catalyst for this new probe is a police report filed on 20 September across the country in Largo, Florida. The document outlines accusations made by a male music publicist and producer who claims he was summoned to a photo shoot in a Los Angeles warehouse regarding an upcoming project. While the name of the person who filed the complaint remains redacted in the Largo police report, the details provided to law enforcement paint a grim picture of the encounter.

According to the report, the accuser alleged that during the shoot, Combs began masturbating under a shirt while he was watching pornography. The narrative continues that Combs then exposed himself and told the accuser to assist. When the producer did not respond to the advances, Combs allegedly continued the act before he threw the shirt at him, he told police.

Accuser Claims Intimidation and Fear of Retaliation

For years, the accuser remained silent. The man told police that he did not tell anyone about the event out of embarrassment. However, the situation reportedly escalated in March 2021, a year after the initial warehouse incident. The producer told Largo police that while he was in Santa Monica for the music project, he was targeted by associates of the rapper.

He alleges that two men at a house grabbed him, threw something over his head, and took him to a room where Combs berated him and called him a snitch. Following the filing in Florida, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department acknowledged the transfer of information, stating they received a copy of the Largo police report Friday. The department confirmed that the 'Special Victims Bureau will be investigating the allegations'.

Legal Team Dismisses Claims as Media Circus

Combs' civil attorney, Jonathan Davis, strongly pushed back against the new developments. In a statement, Davis remarked, 'As Mr. Combs' legal team has repeatedly stated for over a year now, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a media circus'.

He added that Combs 'categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone. He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided — and not in the media — based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations'.

New Claims Separate from Recent Sex Trafficking Trial

These allegations are entirely separate from the federal charges that resulted in Combs' current imprisonment. On 2 July, a jury convicted Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution at the conclusion of an eight-week federal trial in New York. Although he was acquitted on two more serious charges—racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion—the conviction was severe enough to result in significant prison time.

Combs is currently incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, where he is serving a 50-month prison sentence. During that trial, prosecutors accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise spanning decades. Testimony included accounts from former girlfriends, such as Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and a woman known pseudonymously as 'Jane', who accused him of forcing them to participate in marathon, drug-fuelled sexual encounters known as 'freak offs'.

The 56-year-old Grammy winner, who founded Bad Boy Records, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Beyond the criminal convictions and this new Sheriff's Department probe, Combs still faces a raft of civil lawsuits accusing him of rape and sexual assault.