Citing California’s statute of limitations, Los Angeles officers have already introduced that they’ll’t maintain Sean Combs accountable for his now notorious—and admitted—2016 assault on then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. But the continued federal intercourse trafficking case in opposition to the fallen icon is one other matter completely. According to sources near the US Justice Department investigation, that video could possibly be added to the proof federal prosecutors are at present assembling, and the brand new wave of individuals accusing Combs of crimes may need their day in court docket.
Allegations of sexual assault and trafficking in opposition to Sean Combs first gained traction final November when Ventura filed a civil swimsuit in opposition to Combs. Included in her claims have been particulars of a March 5, 2016, bodily assault on the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. In her submitting, Ventura mentioned that Combs had paid $50,000 for the safety footage of the incident.
Combs denied that the assault passed off, in addition to the opposite claims made within the swimsuit, however settled with Ventura the day after she filed. After that, different ladies got here ahead, saying that they had additionally been assaulted by Combs. He denied their allegations, as nicely, saying, “I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. 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.”
When CNN printed footage from resort cameras that depicted the assault on Ventura, Combs backtracked from that denial, saying, “I was fucked up—I hit rock bottom—but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he mentioned. Days later, extra allegations surfaced, as yet one more lady filed a sexual assault lawsuit—the eighth within the final six months—alleging “four terrifying sexual encounters” within the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s.
A intercourse trafficking probe centered on Combs went public in March, when the Department of Homeland Security Investigations New York confirmed {that a} raid on Combs’s Miami and Los Angeles mansions was “part of an ongoing investigation.”
Since then, the company has declined to supply updates on the case, saying solely, “We will provide further information as it becomes available.” But in accordance with sources who spoke with CNN, as these long-ago claims are winding their approach by means of civil court docket, federal investigators are watching.
“Two sources familiar with the probe” say {that a} federal grand jury will quickly be convened in New York to listen to testimony from a few of these accusers, and investigators are poring over the lawsuits for data that may bolster their case.
In addition to the civil swimsuit allegations, investigators are reportedly analyzing video taken contained in the mogul’s properties. It’s unclear if the footage in query was found throughout the raid, or have been provided by witnesses, however in both case, the feds are “contacting people that they’ve found on the tapes,” a supply says.
The form of the ultimate case can also be unclear, as CNN stories that the probe may transcend the intercourse trafficking allegations we’re at present accustomed to. Also into account are “allegations of money laundering and illegal drugs,” the outlet claims.
A March lawsuit in opposition to Combs by former worker Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones alleged that Combs drugged attendees of album listening events with spiked bottles of “DeLeon Tequila, and Ciroc Vodka,” but its unknown of that claim factors in the upcoming case. But according to sources, the federal case against Combs is ”a lot larger than simply these lawsuits.”