Prosecutors add two more women to Sean Combs case

Prosecutors in New York have expanded their case against rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, accusing him of coercing two additional women into commercial sex acts, and of dangling a person over an apartment balcony.

Combs has been in jail since September after an initial indictment charged him with racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation to engage in prostitution.

On Thursday, the indictment was updated to add two more victims, although no new charges were added to the case.

The musician, 55, has strenuously denied all the accusations against him, including the federal criminal case and more than 30 separate civil lawsuits.

In response to the superseding indictment, his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said the prosecution's case "remains flawed.

"The government has added the ridiculous theory that two of Mr Combs's former girlfriends were not girlfriends at all, but were prostitutes. Mr Combs is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial."

The original indictment identified only one victim, named in court documents as "Victim-1", whose accusations aligned closely to those of Cassandra Ventura - the singer who sued Combs for rape and sex trafficking in 2023.

In the new filing, prosecutors allege that Combs "used force, threats of force and coercion, to cause victims, including but not limited to three female victims" to engage in commercial sex acts.

That alleged violence was vividly illustrated in a video of the musician kicking, dragging and throwing a vase at Ms Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

In the new indictment, prosecutors claim that "Combs, with the assistance of several close associates, paid hotel security staff $100,000" (£80,000) for the footage.

However, it was leaked to CNN last year. Combs later said he was "disgusted" by the footage and had sought "professional help" after the incident.

Ms Ventura said the violence she had experienced "broke me down to someone I never thought I'd become". 

New claims added

The updated indictment signals that federal prosecutors are widening their case against Combs as his trial date in May approaches.

A footnote to the document notes that their investigation is ongoing and that further updates will be filed "as promptly as possible" ahead of the trial.

Amongst the new developments, prosecutors have moved the alleged start date of Combs' sex trafficking offences back to 2004, four years earlier than previously stated.

They have also expanded the list of narcotics the musician allegedly used to keep his victims "obedient and silent" - adding methamphetamine and psychedelic mushrooms to the previously cited cocaine, oxycodone and ketamine.

The accusation that Combs dangled a woman from a balcony mirrors a claim made in a civil lawsuit filed by fashion designer Bryana "Bana" Bongolan last December.

Prosecutors also added a claim that Combs had assaulted not just women but also "his employees, witnesses to his abuse and others".

The musician's legal team has previously dismissed the charges against him as "baseless" and accused the government of conducting a "witch hunt.