A woman has come forward to allege that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his bodyguard drugged, raped her and filmed the incident in 2001.
The rap mogul was arrested in New York last week and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for prostitution. Diddy’s legal representative Marc Agnifilo has asserted that he is innocent, and told TMZ that he will “fight like hell” to free him on bail.
The latest alleged victim, Thalia Graves, claims in a suit filed in a New York court yesterday (September 24) that Combs and his associate Joseph Sherman drugged her, sexually assaulted her and filmed it without consent, per Variety.
Diddy has denied criminal wrongdoing, according to BBC.
Graves said that she suffered from depression, anxiety and panic attacks in the years after the alleged assault. According to the suit, in November 2023, she then learned about the existence of the video recording, including that Combs and Sherman had sold it as pornography.
Graves tearfully recounted the alleged assault during a press conference yesterday.
“The internal pain after being sexually assaulted has been incredibly deep and hard to put into the words,” she said. “It goes beyond just physical harm caused by and during the assault. It’s a pain that reaches into your very core of who you are, and leaves emotional scars that will never be fully healed.”
She also shared how “it has been hard for me to trust others, to form healthy relationships, or even feel safe in my own skin”.
Graves also referenced “flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts”, adding that “the violation I have experienced during the assault has had lasting effects on my body, causing ongoing health problems and complications”.
Diddy performs at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in a special one night only event at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 07, 2023 in London, England (CREDIT: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Sean Diddy Combs)
“The combination of physical and emotional pain has created a cycle of suffering from which it is so hard to break free. I want to continue on this journey towards recovery and healing. I’m glad that he is locked up, but that’s a temporary feeling of relief.”
According to the complaint, reviewed by Variety, Graves first met Combs around 2000 through her then-boyfriend – an executive at Combs’ Bad Boy Records at the time.
Combs then allegedly called Graves in the summer of 2001, asking her to meet in person to discuss her boyfriend’s performance at the company. After being picked up by Combs, he gave her a glass of wine that she believed was drugged.
The suit describes how, once inside Diddy’s studio, she lost consciousness and later awoke without clothes with her hands behind her back. When she shouted for her, Sherman allegedly slammed her face on the pool table. According to the claim, Combs then emerged and raped her.
She reportedly passed out again and, after waking up, Sherman then forced her to perform oral sex on him, according to the suit.
Graves says she later called a driver whom she knew well, who brought her to the hospital while telling her to report what happened. However she claimed she was “terrified” of what Combs might do if she spoke out.
In the following years, Graves alleges that Combs and Sherman told her to remain quiet about the attack, threatening that she could lose custody of her son if she spoke out.
According to The Guardian, it’s not immediately clear whether Sherman has an attorney or media contact for comment.
Separately, Diddy is charged with “a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals” that spanned “decades”.
According to the indictment, Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” (per Variety).
Diddy has been denied bail and was reportedly placed on suicide watch as he awaits trial. Agnifilo told TMZ that the suicide watch directive was issued as a routine measure for “new, high-profile inmates.” The latest reports suggest he is not eating in prison out of fear of being poisoned.
The charges follow a wave of accusations and lawsuits against Combs, beginning in November 2023 when R&B singer and Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit against him on allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
Diddy denied the claims before the pair settled the lawsuit “to mutual satisfaction” a day after it was filed. Footage of Combs’ attack on Cassie – full name Cassandra Ventura – was later released to the public in May, and Diddy issued an apology for his actions at the time.
Back in December 2023, Diddy hit back at the various accusations by claiming: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth”.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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