Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs hit with new indictment in sex trafficking case
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(NEW YORK) — Sean “Diddy” Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires” over a longer period of time than first alleged, federal prosecutors in New York said in a superseding indictment filed Thursday.
The indictment contains no new charged crimes but includes additional conduct as part of the alleged racketeering conspiracy, which prosecutors now say spanned a longer time frame of about 20 years, from 2004-2024.
Prosecutors also included additional victims of Combs’ alleged sex trafficking.
The superseding indictment said Combs assaulted not only women but also “his employees, witnesses to his abuse and others.”
That alleged violence was most vivid in a video of Combs kicking, dragging and throwing a vase at his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura inside a Los Angeles hotel. The superseding indictment said Combs, with the assistance of several close associates, paid hotel security staff $100,000 for the footage.
The superseding indictment alleged Combs used force, coercion and threats to cause at least three female victims, identified only by number, “to engage in commercial sex acts.” Something he referred to as “Freak Offs” but others “involved only Combs and a female victim,” according to the indictment.
“Like the Freak Offs, these commercial sex acts involving Combs and a female victim were prearranged, sometimes lasted multiple days, were sometimes electronically recorded by Combs and often involved Combs distributing a variety of controlled substances to the victim, in part to keep the victim obedient and compliant,” the new indictment said.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the new indictment and is scheduled for trial on May 5. Prosecutors said the new indictment should not affect the timing of the trial.
“The latest Indictment contains no new offenses. The prosecution’s theory remains flawed. The government has added the ridiculous theory that two of Mr. Combs’ former girlfriends were not girlfriends at all but were prostitutes. Mr. Combs is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to ABC News.
Last month Combs abandoned an attempt to be released on bail. Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since he was arrested in September.
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(NEW YORK) — Deviations from normal weather patterns are putting several regions in the U.S. at risk for an uptick of disease-spreading pests as winter turns to spring, according to a new analysis.
A surge in disease-spreading pests like ticks, mosquitoes, cockroaches and rodents is expected in regions that experienced especially warm or wet winters this season, according to the National Pest Management Association’s bi-annual Public Health Pest Index.
These pests can spread dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus, Salmonella, plague, and hantavirus, said Jorge Parada, medical adviser for NPMA with a focus on infectious disease, in a statement. These types of pests can also trigger asthma and allergies, Parada said.
Warm winters typically allows more rats to survive, while unusual weather patterns — such as snow in New Orleans — can present a host of new pest problems, Jim Fredericks, senior vice president of public affairs for NPMA, told ABC News.
Ticks and mosquitoes survive better when it is moist, so regions that experienced especially wet winters will likely see those pests on the rise during the spring, Fredericks said.
“If the temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, ticks will be active and in search of food,” Fredericks said.
Changes in climate — both in terms of warmer temperatures as well as the extreme weather events occurring as global temperatures rise — will have a greater impact on the threats these pests pose in the future, Fredericks said. The range for pests like ticks are also spreading due to warmer temperatures, Fredericks said.
The top U.S. cities named on the pest index include:
Boston:“Brutal” snowstorms and cold snaps pushed rodents indoors in search of warmth and food sources, according to the NPMA. In addition, a forecasted warmer start to spring could give ticks a jumpstart to the season.
Cleveland:“Mild, soggy conditions” during the winter could allow for pest populations like cockroaches and ticks to flourish as temperatures rise, the analysis found.
“The pathogens that they carry that could cause food-borne illness,” Fredericks said, adding that rodent dander and urine can also exacerbate asthma symptoms.
Denver: “A frigid and snow-packed” start to the season will likely drive house mice into homes and businesses, while white-footed mice activity inside structures could increase in rural areas, according to the NPMA.
“The white-footed mouse is actually one of the vectors for hantavirus,” Fredericks said.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: “Record-breaking” snowfall is expected to drive rats and mice indoors, and heavy rain forecasted for the area could lead to a rise in tick populations as temperatures rise, according to the NPMA.
Louisville, Kentucky: Rats and mice are expected to enter structures due to extreme cold and historic snowfall. Tick activity may also begin earlier than usual due to a warm spring.
New Orleans: Historic snowfall in the region sent rats and cockroaches into homes, and mosquitoes are expected to make a “fierce comeback” as temperatures climb, the analysis found.
Salt Lake City: Winter conditions could send house mice and white-footed mice indoors.
San Antonio: “Record-breaking warmth” during the winter allowed mosquitoes, cockroaches and ticks to stay active, and a “pest boom” is expected come spring — with a surge in bites, infestations and pest-related health concerns forecasted.
Seattle: A warm, dry start to winter could lead to an increase in rodent and cockroach activity indoors and an increase in tick populations could occur with the spring rains, according to the NPMA.
Washington, D.C.: A “rollercoaster” winter that started unusually warm and ended in heavy snowfall has made rodent activity climb significantly in the nation’s capital, the report states. Tick populations could surge if spring arrives early.
Florida: The group has issued a statewide warning for Florida, pointing to the Sunshine State’s humid climate that allows disease-carrying pests to thrive year-round, the report stated. Although the winter brought dry, cool conditions, a surge is expected this spring as rising temperatures and humidity create ideal breeding conditions.
“We have all of the mosquito species here,” Ryan Carney, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida’s Department of Integrative Biology, told ABC News. “There’s a huge diversity, over 90 species of mosquitoes. Fourteen of those are anopheles, which spread malaria.”
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet, killing more than 1 million people per year from the diseases they carry, and Florida is no stranger to outbreaks of mosquito-borne illness. In 2023, nearly 200 people contracted dengue fever, and there were more than 1,500 cases of Zika in the state from 2016 to 2018, Carney said.
A citizen science project run by USF creates artificial intelligence algorithms to help identify and stop disease-carrying mosquitoes before they are able to infect humans and other large mammals.
“These citizen sciences, especially for mosquitoes, are a way that people can report these sightings of mosquitoes or mosquito bites, and that helps us scientists understand the biodiversity of mosquitoes in the area,” Carney said.
(MONTVALE, NJ) — A school bus carrying 31 passengers overturned and landed on its side in New Jersey on Monday, sending at least 13 to the hospital.
The crash occurred on the side of the Garden State Parkway in Montvale, according to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali said in a post on Facebook that no one died in the incident, and the individual with the most severe of injuries has a pulse.
The bus was headed from Lakewood, New Jersey to New York State when it overturned just south of Exit 172 around 7:30 p.m., according to the mayor.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(AURORA, Colo.) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 100 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua during an early morning raid at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, on Wednesday.
Dozens of federal agents were seen going door to door and speaking to residents in their apartments.
ICE was supported by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Customs and Border Protection and the FBI, the agency said.
Volunteers with the Colorado Rapid Response Network, an immigrant rights group, were also seen using megaphones to advise residents to not speak or open their doors.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent its first flight of migrants to Guantanamo Bay, alleging the 10 individuals were members of Tren de Aragua.
President Donald Trump has railed against criminal gangs, specifically Tren de Aragua, in Aurora since his time on the campaign trail.
“We will stop the invasion of illegals into our country. We will defend our territory,” Trump said during a visit to Aurora in October 2024. “We will not be conquered. We will reclaim our sovereignty. And Colorado will vote for Trump as a protest and signal to the world that we are not going to take it anymore.”
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris ended up winning in Colorado by about 350,000 votes.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
