What exactly is the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex crimes case? Everything you need to know explained in 5 points

Sean "Diddy" Combs was indicted last week on a slew of charges including forceful sex trafficking and racketeering. The music mogul has been hit by a barrage of lawsuits alleging sexual assault and other crimes over the past few weeks. Combs is currently awaiting trial after pleading not guilty.

• Combs was arrested last week in a Manhattan hotel, roughly six months after federal authorities raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami and revealed they were conducting a sex trafficking investigation.
• During the searches, law enforcement seized narcotics, videos of the “Freak Offs” and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to prosecutors. They said agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers.

• A sweeping indictment against Diddy alleged years of sex trafficking and conspiracy earlier this month. He stands accused of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes that used his “power and prestige” for “sex trafficking, forced labour, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice”.
• The tsunami of accusations against the rapper began in November last year after his former singing protege and girlfriend Cassandra Ventura filed a lawsuit. She has alleged alleging years of assault — including rape, physical abuse, intimidation and more. The lawsuit also accused Combs of blowing up the car of Kid Cudi in order to deter him from seeing Ventura romantically. The suit was settled the following day, but its allegations would do anything but go away.
• A total of 11 women have stepped forward over the past year with graphic claims of rape and assault — with some incidents dating back to the 1990s. The most recent accuser (Thalia Greaves) alleged that Combs and his bodyguard had drugged, bound and violently raped her. He had allegedly filmed the assault so he could sell it for the titillation of others.

(With inputs from agencies)