Sean “Diddy” Combs was all smiles ahead of his arrest Monday evening.
The rapper, 54, chatted and laughed with four fans in New York City in a video obtained by TMZ — filmed just 30 minutes before he was taken into custody.
Combs shook one of the individuals’s hands before Homeland Security Investigations busted him at the nearby Park Hyatt hotel.
The Bad Boys Records co-founder was also out and about in Manhattan earlier that same day with his 26-year-old son, Christian, and spent time in Central Park over the weekend.
Combs has since been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Despite the Grammy winner’s genial appearance with his fans, his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told Monday that his client had “voluntarily relocated” to the Big Apple last week “in anticipation of these charges.”
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The attorney added, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.
“To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation,” Agnifilo continued. “Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
The music mogul’s legal battle began in November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura sued him for rape, physical abuse and more allegations.
By the following day, Combs had settled with the “Me & U” singer, 38, for an undisclosed amount.
As the music executive was hit with multiple sexual assault lawsuits — and his Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by feds in March — his and Ventura’s on-again, off-again relationship made headlines again.
This time, CNN obtained throwback surveillance footage of Combs beating his then-partner in a hotel.
“Domestic violence … broke me down to someone I never thought I would become,” Ventura, 38, wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement at the time.
“With a lot of hard work, I am better today but I will always be recovering from my past.”
Combs, for his part, said in a video that he felt “disgusted” by his “inexcusable” behavior.
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