Federal officials were acting on specific allegations of sex trafficking when they raided two of Diddy’s homes on Monday — and they say his alleged victims have not been holding back during interviews.
An officer with the Department of Homeland Security told The Post the case has been active for several weeks as authorities investigate a range of allegations against the 54-year-old rapper and mogul.
“We believe that there is a disturbing history of sex trafficking,” said the Miami-based officer, who spoke under condition of anonymity.
“We are responding to concrete, detailed, explicit allegations. This is not random. We didn’t choose his name out of a hat. We had allegations that we’re following up on.”
The public first became aware of allegations against Diddy when his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a federal civil suit against him in November last year. That case was settled out of court the next day, but has been followed by three further lawsuits allegeing sex assault, all of which Diddy has strongly denied.
He has also not been charged with any crime or wrongdoing at this stage.
“We became aware of certain allegations during the course of the civil suits against Mr. Combs,” said the officer. “You have to understand that we didn’t just decide on a whim to search his homes. A federal judge had to sign off. This isn’t a witch hunt.”
An attorney for Combs, Aaron Dyer, did not return The Post’s messages for comment.
On Monday, when Homeland Security agents raided Combs’ mansions in both Los Angeles and Miami they confiscated hard drives, phones, and other evidence.
The officer tells The Post that they are looking for “photos, emails, texts, itineraries, hopefully names. There are specific communications that we are aware of that we will be able to access on the electronics.”
The multi-agency investigation is being spearheaded by the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
Monday’s search was executed by Homeland Security investigators.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dyer decried the DHS’ raids as a “gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences” and vowed Diddy would clear his name.
In addition to the search, authorities are interviewing alleged victims and witnesses, including three woman and one man who are suing Diddy in civil courts, according to sources.
The DHS operative said those who had been interviewed for the investigation have been very thorough and detailed.
“That’s a funny thing about victims. They may be reluctant to speak at first, but once they start talking, they talk. They talk a lot. We are getting a lot of cooperation from a lot of people who want to see him brought to justice.”
Diddy was stopped from boarding a private jet out of the US on Monday and is believed to have remained in Florida since. However, despite the raids attracting a great deal of attention, he remains a free man.
“He is not under arrest; he is under investigation,” the law enforcement source made clear. “He is free right now to do what he wants, but he is aware that if charges come down, we will get him — wherever he is.”
