Prosecutors Say Sean Combs Distributed Meth, Ketamine in New Indictment

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of “possession with the intent to distribute” numerous drugs and victimizing two more women in his racketeering and sex trafficking criminal case, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.

Under the racketeering count, which is now backdated to 2004 from the original indictment’s 2008, prosecutors accuse Combs and his associates of dealing numerous controlled substances, including cocaine, oxycodone, Ecstasy, ketamine and other psychedelic drugs.

The 15-page superseding indictment, which was unveiled in court on Thursday, did not name any co-defendants or add additional counts against Combs. The 55-year-old is currently charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he faces 15 years to life in prison. A trial date is set for May 5.

Combs has been held without bail since his Sept. 16 arrest, pleading not guilty to the original three charges against him. Three judges denied his request for release — which included a substantial $50 million bail package and around-the-clock monitoring — citing concern of witness tampering and being a danger to the community. Although Combs’ team of high-profile attorneys had put the matter in front of an appellate court, Combs’ lawyers voluntarily dismissed the bid on Dec. 13. (Rolling Stone has reached out to representatives for Combs.)

There were no additional details given in the superseding indictment about the two other alleged female victims in the case. However, prosecutors previously claimed in court documents that Victim-2 had texted Combs in the days after Ventura filed her bombshell sex trafficking lawsuit that reading the suit was like reading her own “sexual trauma.” (Combs’ team denied the woman was a victim.)

Prosecutors previously acknowledged that a superseding indictment could be in play, telling U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian at a conference hearing in October that their investigation was ongoing and there was a likely possibility of more charges being brought against Combs. The same month, CNN and NBC reported that a grand jury had been hearing testimony from witnesses.

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The original 14-page indictment against Combs seemed to closely follow the accusations that R&B singer Ventura leveled against him in her explosive sexual abuse lawsuit from November 2023. Ventura alleged that throughout her decade-long relationship with her Bad Boy label boss, she was physically beaten and forced to consume narcotics while having sex with male sex workers. Combs denied her allegations and the lawsuit was settled within 24 hours.  

Prosecutors didn’t name Ventura in the indictment but it was clear that she was “Victim 1,” with incidents alleged in her complaint mirroring events detailed in the charging papers. Prosecutors accused Combs of using his billion dollar empire as a “criminal enterprise” to commit a range of offenses, according to the indictment, including “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.” 

They painted a picture of a dangerous and abusive man, who forced romantic partners to submit to his will and sexual fantasies through manipulation, coercion, threats and violence, including once attempting to beat down a woman’s door with a hammer. He is accused of weaponizing his billion dollar empire and a team of loyal staffers to carry out his demands.

Combs’ lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo admitted that while Combs’ relationship with Ventura was deeply “toxic,” they argued that there was nothing criminal about their relationship and claimed all sexual acts were consensual. Denying accusations of sex trafficking, Agnifilo accused the “federal government” of “coming into this man’s bedroom.” “They are making not just judgments, they are charging him with statutes that, as they said, could put him in jail for life,” Agnifilo told the court.

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Ventura’s 2023 suit sparked a domino effect, with more than 40 other women and men filing civil lawsuits against Combs and his alleged associates. The lawsuits come from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, creative Bryana “Bana” Bongolan, a former Bad Boy employee, and men and women who allege Combs drugged and/or assaulted them in the 1990s and as recently as July 2024. Combs has maintained his innocence and denied their allegations. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor,” a representative for Combs said in a statement.

A handful of the civil lawsuits come from prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee and co-counsel Andrew Van Arsdale. The firms announced in September that they were representing more than 120 clients with claims against Combs and his associates, including accusers who were minors at the time of the alleged encounters. Buzbee is also representing a Jane Doe accuser who claimed that when she was 13 years old she was raped by Combs and Jay-Z during a VMAs afterparty in 2000. (Jay-Z has vehemently denied the accusation and filed an extortion and defamation lawsuit against Buzbee.)