Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is the latest high-profile figure to be scrutinized for a string of alleged crimes, exposing the darker underbelly of the entertainment industry. From rape and sexual assault to racketeering and sex trafficking, the charges leveled against Combs paint a disturbing picture of the abuses of power within the world of celebrity.
Combs, the co-founder of Bad Boy Records and a titan of the hip-hop industry, is currently behind bars awaiting trial in May 2025 on a slew of federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The details that have emerged in the case are nothing short of shocking.
Ashley Parham, a woman, has accused Combs of a horrific ordeal that occurred in 2018, according to court documents. Parham claims that after she confronted Combs over FaceTime about his alleged involvement in the unsolved 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, the rapper lured her to a friend’s home, where he proceeded to viciously assault her.
Parham alleges that Combs held a knife to her face, threatening to carve a “Glasgow smile” before tearing off her clothes and forcibly shoving a TV remote into her most intimate areas. The lawsuit further claims that Combs told Parham that her life was in his hands and that he could make her disappear, boasting that he had “gotten away with worse crimes”—an apparent reference to Tupac’s death.
The disturbing allegations do not end there. Parham also accuses Kristina Khorram, Combs’ assistant, of aiding in the assault and suggesting that they could sell Parham into sex trafficking or ship him overseas, with no chance of hearing from him again.
The lawsuit alleges a pattern of abuse and exploitation that extends beyond Parham. Veteran civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing singer Dawn Richard in a separate civil case against Combs, believes the music mogul may have victimized countless others.
Bloom told ABC News, “We allege in our complaint, filed a week before the government’s criminal complaint, that there were many people and entities who were enablers, who were complicit, who helped him, funded him, and who turned a blind eye to what was going on.”
The allegations against Combs extend far beyond individual acts of violence. Federal prosecutors have accused the rapper of running a vast criminal enterprise involving racketeering, sex trafficking, and the transportation of individuals for the purpose of prostitution. The scope of the alleged crimes is staggering, with law enforcement officials describing Combs’ properties as veritable dens of illegal activity.
Former federal prosecutor Mitchell Epner stated, “We found large quantities of different drugs.” “We discovered a wide range of drugs, from GHB to various recreational substances.”
The raids on Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles also uncovered firearms with serial numbers filed off, further evidence of the mogul’s disregard for the law.
The allegations surrounding Combs’ infamous “white parties” in the Hamptons, where he allegedly forced and threatened victims to perform sex acts in front of large crowds during drug-fueled “Freak-Off” performances, are perhaps the most disturbing of all.
According to reports, “only a subset of the people attending the very fancy schmancy white parties knew about these Freak Offs, who were in very large gatherings of basically public sex shows that went on for days at a time and were drug-fueled,” Epner stated.
Combs’ legal troubles are forcing the music industry and the public to confront the murky side of the entertainment industry. The mogul’s arrest and impending trial have shattered the illusion of glamour and success, revealing a sordid tale of abuse, exploitation, and a desperate attempt to maintain power at all costs.
With over 120 individuals already represented in a civil lawsuit against Combs, the full extent of his alleged crimes may only be beginning to come to light. The question remains: how many more victims will the justice system uncover, and how deep does the corruption run within the industry that Combs once dominated?