Sean 'Diddy' Combs charged with sex trafficking and racketeering
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
The rapper-turned music mogul was arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.
The arrest of Combs, 54, came after 10 months of facing civil allegations including rape, sexual assault, and forced drugging.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would "fight like hell" to try to get his client released from custody.
Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was recognised as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop.
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But in November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years.
She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fuelled settings.
The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor.
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Tap hereAfter the video aired, Combs apologised, saying, "I was disgusted when I did it."
Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse.
He has denied many of those allegations.
His lawyer, Mr Agnifilo, said following the indictment, his client's "spirits are good" and he was "confident".
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