Diddy’s lawyer issues statement after homes raided

A lawyer for Sean “Diddy” Combs says that the search of his properties in Miami and Los Angeles was “a gross use of military-level force.” The public statement is the first from the music mogul’s team since its properties were raided on Monday. This is part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation, and for a closer look at this, there’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get right to it. We’re joined live by Trey Level, a Civil Trial Attorney. Thanks so much for joining us. This is the first time we’re hearing from P. Diddy’s legal team after those dramatic raids. Does the argument they’re making have legs?

Well, right now, P. Diddy is in crisis mode. He needs to get his PR going, and he needs to start defending what’s probably going to be indictments coming pretty soon. The way these raids were orchestrated shows that the government is extremely serious. They were simultaneous over two homes in two different cities, which means two things are going on: they needed to ensure that the documents would be preserved, there wouldn’t be any worry about them being destroyed, and they needed surprise. And when that happens, chances are that they’re really looking for something they know probably already exists. So, it’s very serious.

And what about claimants? We have Cassie, who has already received a settlement, then you have his assistant. What does this mean where we are in the investigation for potential claimants in the future?

Yeah, so I think the civil lawsuits probably promulgated the criminal investigation and eventually the criminal raid. Those lawsuits were very detailed, accusing P. Diddy of sexual trafficking, rape, assault, sexual assault by a number of different claimants. And when you have a number of different claimants claiming very similar acts that tread upon criminality, the government is going to get involved. So, it’s not surprising that once those came out in the public forum, the government started taking a look at it, and they obviously think that they have something that’s serious. So, in essence, yeah, those lawsuits kind of were a preface to what would certainly be a criminal investigation.

One of the latest developments: a number of celebrities have been linked to this investigation named in court filings. Prince Harry was named. How damning is that?

Yeah, I saw that. You know, he’s not alleged to have any involvement in it, but it just shows the reach of very famous powerful entertainment people. If an entertainment mogul is going to be involved in some type of criminality, it’s going to encroach upon other famous people because they associate with themselves, they work together. So, that’s not surprising. They just… the investigation has to be very clear in terms of who it’s targeting, who it’s going to ultimately be focusing on, and these third-party ancillary people, other famous people, they need to make sure their names are protected unless there’s actual evidence that they’re somehow involved.

And Trey, when it comes to where is Combs, we have to talk about that, especially when he has access to a private jet.

Yeah, so it’s my understanding that he was in Miami, getting ready to take off to the Caribbean when the homes were raided, and that he’s still here, which is good because he needs to show he’s not a flight risk. If for some reason he got on that plane and went to the Caribbean, it may have worried authorities that he might flee. So, he stayed here, which is good. He says he’s going to stay here and defend himself, which is extremely important because if he is indicted, his power allows him to flee, and so he has to show, “Hey, I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to worry about that. I need to be out of jail helping with my case.” And so, I think that was important. And eventually, I would assume that if he hasn’t already been interviewed and talked to, he certainly will, or indictments may come. Now, we don’t know for sure certainly that he’s going to be indicted or anybody else, but with the show of force this extreme, the government is pretty certain something’s going on.

As you said, they’re pretty serious about this investigation. Trey Level, Civil Trial Attorney, thanks for helping us navigate this case.