Cassie reportedly cooperating with feds in Diddy sex trafficking investigation: Here's the latest
Sean “Diddy” Combs remains under federal investigation in his alleged sex trafficking case, more than a week after two of his homes were raided by law enforcement. Several of the entrepreneur's accusers in civil cases against him are reportedly cooperating with the federal government, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. The music mogul isn't hiding, though. He's been photographed around Miami and posting photos on social media. Here's the latest.
Cassie supposedly speaking with federal investigators
According to TMZ, the singer has been cooperating with authorities “for several weeks.” In November, Cassie sued Diddy in an explosive lawsuit alleging she had been raped, sex trafficked and abused, among other disturbing accusations. Cassie dated the businessman for more than a decade. Many of her claims mirrored those in civil lawsuits that followed. TMZ reported that other women have also met with the feds, although it's unclear if they are the same accusers who are suing the Bad Boy Records founder. Diddy has denied all allegations via his attorney.
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Cassie's lawyer Douglas Wigdor, who also represents a Jane Doe accuser, for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Diddy resuming normal life
A source claimed to People that while “it's a stressful situation” for the multimillionaire rapper, “he's keeping his cool.”
“He's not the type to let any drama affect his children. He wants his children to be worry-free and happy. He has trust in his legal team,” the insider added.
Diddy has been photographed around Miami, seemingly unbothered. He returned to social media on Easter to share pictures of his 1-year-old daughter, Love (but disabled comments on Instagram posts).
Diddy's ex shares video of Homeland Security's raids on L.A. mansion
Misa Hylton, the mother of Diddy's sons Justin Combs, 30, and Christian “King” Combs, 26, called out the government's “overtly militarized force” against her boys by sharing videos of law enforcement tearing through the home.
“If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression. The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young BLACK MEN is despicable!” she captioned the videos on social media.
Attorney for Justin Combs calls raid 'bonkers'
Defense lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman is representing Justin. On his podcast Beyond the Legal Limit, Lichtman also called out what he believed to be the federal government's excessive use of force.
“It was crazy,” he said. “What bothers me the most about it is not so much the search — the overboard search that occurred on Puff Daddy's two homes — but the fact that the press was certainly told about it either immediately or right before. They were all there ready to record. ... That's bad.”
Lichtman said he doesn't “know enough about the case” against Diddy to “advocate” for the rapper but wanted to call out the “ridiculous” way the raids unfolded.
One legal expert previously told Yahoo the show of force was not excessive. “It is the normal course of conduct when a search warrant is exercised,” Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Silva Megerditchian explained.
“Any time the feds conduct a raid, it is usually viewed as excessive by the people involved. Officers have been known to make a mess of homes, detain innocent people — including children — and handcuff them for either officer safety or control of the situation,” she added. “Agents will tear homes apart looking for evidence that the warrant specifies. Unfortunately, what Diddy and his family went through is no different than any other person facing a federal investigation.”
Hollywood racing to cash in on the scandal
50 Cent isn't the only person who is purportedly working on a docuseries surrounding the allegations against Diddy. According to TMZ, there are at least five productions in the works about the troubling allegations.
