Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ mom defends him against ‘public lynching’

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ mother has released a statement in defence of her son as he faces allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and racketeering.

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After numerous allegations from women accusing him of sexual assault, Combs, 54, was arrested on Sept. 16 in Manhattan and charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking with the accusations stretching back decades.

According to a criminal indictment, Combs, who was denied bail and remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, is accused of using his “power and prestige” to induce female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” that the rapper arranged, participated in and often recorded on video. The events would sometimes last days and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids to recover, the indictment said.

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Now Combs’ mother, Janice, has spoken up on behalf of her son, saying she is “devastated and profoundly saddened” by the charges.

“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” Janice Combs wrote in a statement shared to Instagram by her lawyer, Natlie G. Figgers. “To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”

She added that her son — who has been denied bail twice since his arrest as he remains behind bars — “is not the monster they have painted him to be.”

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“He deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated,” Janice continued. “I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have. My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise.” 

She added, “Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”

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Some of the abuse claims alleged by police mirror accusations Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura made against the three-time Grammy winner last fall.

Ventura sued Combs last November, claiming the hip-hop star raped and sex trafficked her over the course of their abusive 10-year relationship.

The lawsuit was settled a day later, however earlier this year, security video aired by CNN showed Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. 

But Janice says that “not being entirely straightforward” about the altercation with Ventura doesn’t mean that her son ” is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges levelled against him.”

“Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person.’ History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes,” she wrote.

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Janice said that “watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget.”

“It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side,” she said. 

After his arrest, Combs was hit with new sexual assault allegations as a woman filed a lawsuit in New York saying she was repeatedly raped and drugged at the music mogul’s homes and became pregnant after one of the encounters

A team of lawyers announced last Tuesday that they would be filing 120 sexual assault lawsuits against Combs.

“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry, that really wasn’t a secret at all, has finally been revealed to the world,” said Tony Buzbee, one of the lead attorneys, at a Houston news conference. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”

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Of the 120 purported victims, 25 were minors at the time of the alleged assaults. One individual alleged he was 9 years old when he was abused, Buzbee said. The accusations stretch all the way back to 1991 and go up to this year.

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Combs’ mother, however, hinted that she believes her son’s accusers have been motivated by “financial gain.”

“These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son,” she said. “False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve.”

She also hit out at the U.S. government for “using these lies to prosecute my son” and called the ordeal “unbearable” for the I’ll Be Missing You singer’s family. 

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“The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him,” she said as she asked critics to wait until they “hear his side.”

“I beg you to think about those who have been wrongfully persecuted, to remember that not everyone who has made mistakes in life deserves to have their entire existence judged by a single action or a few mistakes,” she wrote. 

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