What we know about the investigation

(NewsNation) — One week after two homes belonging to hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs were raided by federal investigators, law enforcement has released little details as to potential charges the music producer could be facing. 

Department of Homeland Security agents conducted the raids last week at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home. 

The raids came as the producer faces a mounting list of civil lawsuits that allege abuse and sexual assault by multiple victims spanning over 30 years. 

Combs has denied all the allegations. 

Why was Diddy’s house raided?

While federal authorities have given sparse public comment as to what prompted the raids, NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported that it was part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. 

Authorities are also reportedly widening their probe to include potential witness intimidation, sexual assault and firearms violations, according to a New York Post report.

In a Saturday interview on “NewsNation Prime,” Dana Kennedy of the New York Post said her Homeland Security sources indicate the investigation into Combs is “the tip of the iceberg” and that “nothing is off the table.”

What happened during the raids on Diddy’s home?

Investigators seized firearms and also phones belonging to Combs, though it is unclear how many devices were confiscated. 

Along with a heavy presence of officers wearing protective gear and weapons, command trucks were parked outside both properties during the raids.

Combs’ sons, Justin and Christian “King” Combs, were handcuffed during the raid at their father’s Los Angeles home.

Combs’ attorney Aaron Dyer called the raids a “witch hunt” in a statement released one day later. 

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” he said. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

While it’s still unclear exactly where Combs was during the searches, images from TMZ appear to show Combs walking around and coming face-to-face with federal authorities at the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport. 

What accusations is Diddy facing and could they be part of the raids? 

The music producer has been slapped with five civil suits in the last five months, each containing a multitude of disturbing accusations. 

Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who had been in a decade-long relationship with Diddy in the early 2000s, filed a lawsuit in New York federal court last November alleging sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault and gender-motivated violence, among other causes of action. 

Ventura alleged that she became lured into and eventually trapped in a decade-long pattern of abuse involving forced drug use, rape, battery and forced sex acts with male sex workers.

She settled the lawsuit with her former partner one day later, but her suit spawned several more alleged victims to come forward. 

In February, music producer Rodney Jones filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

In other lawsuits, a woman said the rap producer trafficked and raped her two decades ago when she was 17. Another woman said Combs filmed his sexual assault on her and later used it as “revenge porn” when she was a student at Syracuse University. 

Combs and his attorneys have denied all of the lawsuits’ allegations.

It is unclear if any of these civil suits are related to his federal criminal investigations. 

Federal prosecutors have interviewed three Jane Does and one John Doe in relation to sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms related to Combs, WNBC reported. Another three Jane Does have interviews scheduled.

And new reports as of this week indicate that the federal probe into Combs could expand to include reinvestigating a 1999 shooting outside a New York City nightclub.

Could Diddy be arrested?

Diddy has not been arrested for any criminal conduct, but charges could be forthcoming, legal experts say.  

“They clearly have probable cause to believe that a federal crime has been committed and that evidence of that crime or multiple crimes would be found in the two locations that they searched. This is big news, and if I’m P. Diddy or his lawyers, I’d be very concerned at this point,” Nadia Shihata, who prosecuted R. Kelly for sex crimes in New York, told NewsNation. 

What could the raid on Diddy’s home mean?  

Authorities have been tight-lipped on why they raided Combs’ homes thus far.

Former NYPD Detective Derrick Parker also told NewsNation he knew an investigation involving Combs was in the works.

“The raid that you saw at the house was only the beginning,” Parker said. “The search warrant that they got from a magistrate and federal court to go into his property was already authorized.

“The government is gathering the cooperators that they have so far. And they’re giving them information, explicit information about P. Diddy and some of the things that he’s done. So they’re taking that information, and they’re utilizing it in a big case against him.”

Law enforcement arrested Combs’ alleged drug “mule,” Brendan Paul, 25, who was traveling with the producer at the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport the same day the raids took place last week. 

Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player, was arrested on felony charges for possession of suspected cocaine and possession of suspected marijuana candy, per an arrest affidavit. The affidavit adds that officers found cocaine and edibles in Paul’s travel bags.

Law enforcement officials have not named Paul as Combs’ “mule” or drawn a connection between his arrest and the raid.

“Taking an overt step in investigating two homes means the investigation is well underway here,” Shihata said.

Where is Diddy?  

Immediately after the raids, TMZ tracked the rapper’s personal jet. The outlet initially reported the aircraft was on the ground in Antigua. It’s unknown if Combs was on the plane.

“Antigua, as we know, is an extradition country, so probably not the best place to flee to if Diddy was indeed on that plane, if that’s where he is,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said during an interview on “Banfield.”

Combs was reportedly spotted Thursday night at Topgolf in Miami with his 17-year-old daughters. 

One day later, fitness coach Wes Watson posted a picture of himself and Combs at the Pura Vida restaurant in Miami. 

“Came to just GRAB a SHOT of ESPRESSO and I Ran into DIDDY‼️,” Watson wrote. 

On Easter Sunday, Combs posted a picture of his daughter, writing, “HAPPY EASTER from Baby Love” as the caption.

Combs’ private plane, a black LoveAir USA LLC-owned Gulfstream G550, has vanished from public tracking site FlightAware. Oli Coleman, deputy editor for Page Six, told “Banfield” people can remove their planes from tracking sites.

“They’re keeping his whereabouts pretty close to the chest,” Coleman said. “As much as you can track those things, you can also go to some trouble and black yourself out of them. On this occasion, his plane disappeared, gone private as it were.”

NewsNation’s Caitlyn Shelton contributed to this story.