What is sex trafficking?

The rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently in a New York prison awaiting trial in May on charges of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the allegations.

We’re going to be examining what each of these federal charges mean over the coming weeks, hearing from experts and people affected in other cases involving these charges. We’re starting with sex trafficking.

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty speaks to Elizabeth Geddes who prosecuted R. Kelly, Dr Marcel Van Der Watt, president at the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation in the US, along with Lala Appleberry from Survivor Network NC.

The Diddy on Trial podcast is here to investigate the rumours, confront the theories, and give you the answers that you need.

We also want YOU to be part of the conversation. Have you any burning questions about the cases or the upcoming trial? Heard a theory that doesn’t sit right with you? Get in touch now via WhatsApp: 0330 123 555 1.

Presenter: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Series Producer: Laura Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Hattie Valentine Editor: Clare Fordham

Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Assistant Commissioner: Will Drysdale Commissioning Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Assistant Producer: Rechmial Miller

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs - who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love - emerged into the hip-hop scene in the 1990s. He founded Bay Boy Records, which launched the careers of the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J Blige.

His current legal issues began when he was sued by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie, in late 2023. She accused him of violently abusing and raping her. That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.

His controversial history with Ms Ventura resurfaced in 2024, when CCTV footage emerged showing Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend as she lay on a hotel hallway floor in 2016.

Multiple people have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all claims.

In his criminal case, he faces federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution, and is accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes by using firearms or threatening them with violence.

In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil. Mr Combs denies all the charges.

As Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs awaits trial on charges of kidnapping, drugging and sex trafficking women, industry insiders who knew him during his meteoric rise in the 1990s speak exclusively to the BBC about their experiences.

Daniel Evans, who worked at Bad Boy Records between 1994 and 1997, has told the BBC’s Investigations team that women were flown in for sex.

He and other employees also recall a culture of big money, threats of violence and sex in the studios of Diddy’s Bad Boy record label. Diddy denies all the allegations.

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty hears about the findings from BBC Investigations Correspondent Rianna Croxford.

The Diddy on Trial podcast is here to investigate the rumours, confront the theories, and give you the answers that you need.

We also want YOU to be part of the conversation. Have you any burning questions about the cases or the upcoming trial? Heard a theory that doesn’t sit right with you? Get in touch now via WhatsApp: 0330 123 555 1.

Archive from: Graham Norton Show on BBC 1 Entertainment Tonight MTV News

Presenter: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Investigations Producer: Larissa Kennelly Series Producer: Laura Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Hattie Valentine Editor: Clare Fordham

Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Assistant Commissioner: Will Drysdale Commissioning Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Assistant Producer: Rechmial Miller

Emergency episode alert! Prosecutors in New York have expanded their case against Diddy, adding more women to the indictment against him.

The BBC’s Music Correspondent Mark Savage assesses what it all means.

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. He denies all the accusations.

We want YOU to be part of the conversation. Have you any burning questions about the allegations? Heard a theory that doesn’t sit right with you? Send us your thoughts!

Get in touch now via WhatsApp: 0330 123 555 1

The Diddy on Trial podcast is here to investigate the rumours, confront the theories, and give you the answers that you need.

Presenter: Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty Producer: Laura Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Editor: Clare Fordham

Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Assistant Commissioner: Will Drysdale Commissioning Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Assistant Producer: Rechmial Miller