Diddy arrested by the feds from NYC hotel: VIDEO
NEW YORK - Newly released video obtained by TMZ shows the moment Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested for sex trafficking charges at an NYC hotel and taken into federal custody Monday evening.
The release of the video follows Diddy's placement on suicide watch in a special housing unit at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, amid suspicions that he's become a target.
The video shows Diddy, dressed in a black trench coat, as he walks into the Park Hyatt New York in Midtown Manhattan with his entourage.
The moment he steps into the lobby, law enforcement detains the mogul and separates him from his group.
Diddy's team then starts to scramble, unsure of what's unfolding. They pace around the hotel lobby as the rapper is led away.
A little after that, Diddy appears on camera again, with his hands behind his back as federal agents escort him down the hallway and into an elevator.
They then lead him through the lobby and out the front door of the hotel as pedestrians line the sidewalk.
What did Diddy do?
The music mogul is charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The indictment against him lists allegations that go back to 2008.
He's accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed "Freak Offs." The indictment also refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video.
"Not guilty," Combs told a court, standing to speak after expressionlessly listening to the allegations with his uncuffed hands folded in his lap.
"Simply put, he is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor," Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told a court.
On Thursday, he was denied his request for bail on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking along with a slew of illicit crimes in a federal sex trafficking case.
What are 'Freak Offs?
The indictment accuses Combs of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes that used his "power and prestige" for "sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice."
"Freak Offs" were gatherings where Diddy allegedly wielded his power to lure victims into sex acts with male commercial sex workers, according to the indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Diddy's baby oil
During the March search of his LA and Miami homes, law enforcement seized narcotics, videos, three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant they say were "Freak Off" supplies.
His employees would allegedly ensure that the "Freak Offs" were stocked with baby oil, linens, and lighting.