Diddy sex trafficking probe: Young accusers draw 'eerie' parallels to Michael Jackson case
As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits trial on multiple sex trafficking charges, more allegations of abuse at the hands of the fallen music mogul continue to surface. Last week, more than 100 accusers — 25 of whom were minors at the time — reportedly came forward alleging "rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation" against Diddy.
"When you talk about the ages of the victims when the conduct occurred, it's shocking," Houston attorney Tony Buzbee told reporters during a press conference Oct. 1. "The youngest victim at the time of the occurrence was 9 years old. We have an individual who was 14 years old. We have one who was 15."
"Although [Michael] Jackson was never convicted of sexually abusing minors, the allegations remained long after his death," former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Fox News Digital. "Now there are similar allegations of Diddy grooming and sexually abusing minors. The minors haven’t filed lawsuits, so the allegations haven’t been made public yet, but their attorney is reporting that there are 25 minor victims, with the youngest being 9 years old.
"There are also rumors of Diddy being connected with underage stars like Justin Bieber, Usher and Aaron Carter," he added. Bieber, Usher and Carter have never accused Diddy of any wrongdoing.
"These rumors are unsubstantiated, but they are eerily similar to the Michael Jackson and Macaulay Culkin rumors, where one of the most famous musicians in the world used their wealth and power to gain access to child stars," Rahmani added. "Again, we’d have to see the evidence first, but money and fame in the entertainment industry can give abusers access. We’ve seen it time and time again with [Jeffrey] Epstein, R. Kelly, and others."
According to former criminal defense attorney Adanté Pointer of Oakland-based Lawyers for the People, LLC, Diddy and Jackson "are entertainers, both have global audiences, vast wealth and are Black men accused of using their power and influence and wealth to sexually abuse minors."
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However, says Rahmani, there are "key differences" between the two cases.
"Diddy, through his lawyers, is admitting the sexual activity happened, at least with respect to the adults, but is arguing that it was consensual," he noted. "Some of the freak-offs were apparently recorded, so Diddy may not have much of a choice. Jackson, of course, never admitted to any sexual contact. And a number of celebrities came out and publicly supported Jackson. Diddy has almost no support whatsoever."
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In 1993, the Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation into Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of a family friend's son. The lawsuit was eventually settled due to lack of evidence.
Ten years later, however, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation. Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. The case went to trial in 2005, and Jackson was acquitted of all charges.
Jackson, who died in 2009 from a cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose, was known to have close ties to young male stars throughout his career, including Culkin and Carter, who both vehemently denied seeing any inappropriate behavior from the King of Pop.
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"He never did anything to me," Culkin, 44, told Esquire in 2020. "I never saw him do anything. And especially at this flash point in time, I’d have no reason to hold anything back. The guy has passed on. If anything — I’m not gonna say it would be stylish or anything like that, but right now is a good time to speak up. And if I had something to speak up about, I would totally do it. But, no, I never saw anything; he never did anything."
"Absolutely not," Carter, who died from an overdose in 2022, previously told VLAD TV when asked if he had ever witnessed suspicious behavior from Jackson. "Nothing inappropriate. It doesn't make sense to me. He was nothing but nice and kind and loving to me."
In the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland," Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who had previously denied Jackson molested them and supported him to authorities and in Robson's case, both came forward as adults detailing the alleged abuse they endured as children from Jackson.
The lawsuits were dismissed in 2021.
As for Diddy's young accusers, lawsuits have yet to be filed, and Combs' legal team denied the allegations in a statement provided to Fox News Digital last week.
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"As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus," Combs' attorney, Erica Wolff, stated. "That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
Buzbee claimed the alleged abuse began as early as 1991, with reported incidents happening into 2024. Victims, who are scattered around the country in states including California, Florida, Georgia and New York, came forward after Diddy was indicted by federal prosecutors.
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Diddy's arrest has also sparked unwanted attention for stars, like Bieber and others, due to his past connections to the Bad Boy Enterprises founder.
In one clip shared on Bieber's YouTube channel in November 2009, Diddy showed the youngster a Lamborghini he planned to bestow on the "Sorry" singer once he turned 16.
"He's having 48 hours with Diddy, him and his boy," Combs said. "They're having the times of their lives, like where we hanging out and what we're doing we can't really disclose. But it's definitely a 15-year-old's dream.
"I have been given custody of him. You know, he's signed to Usher, and I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album. I did Usher's first album."
"Let's go get some girls," Bieber told Combs when asked what he wanted to do.
"Man after my heart," the rapper responded. "That's what I'm talking about."
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2004, Usher said Diddy "introduced me to a totally different set of s---, sex, specifically. … There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy."
During an interview with Howard Stern in 2016, Usher admitted there were "very curious things taking place" that he didn't "understand."
"It was curious. I got a chance to see some things," Usher said. "I went there to see the lifestyle, and I saw it. And it was. … But I don't know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at. It was pretty wild. It was crazy."
Diddy was arrested and charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
Combs appeared in Manhattan federal court, where he pleaded not guilty. Not only was Combs denied the proposed $50 million bail, he was sent to jail immediately after the hearing.
The legal team representing the embattled rapper filed a bail appeal on Tuesday morning as the legal case involving him progresses.
The appeal, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, asked the judge to approve a pretrial release.
"Sean Combs requests that this Court order his release on appropriate bail conditions, and order his immediate release pending disposition of this appeal under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 9(a)(3)," the filing states.
In the document, Combs' lawyer argued that releasing him would not pose a threat to the community.
"Mr. Combs should be released because, regardless of the government’s untested allegations, the proposed conditions will reasonably assure his appearance and the safety of the community," the attorney reasoned.
According to the court documents, Combs "was not released pending trial, even though he offered to comply with restrictive conditions that would have prevented any conceivable risk of flight or danger."
In the appeal, defense lawyers argued the court "rejected a plainly sufficient bail package, and violated its obligations under the Bail Reform Act."
Combs' appeared in court Thursday, where his trial was scheduled for May 5, 2025. In court, prosecutors also pointed to the possibility of a superseding indictment.
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz, Tracy Wright, Andrea Margolis and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.