Sean “Diddy” Combs may have avoided charges over footage of a 2016 assault on former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, but the music mogul knows that “the writing is on the wall,” legal experts have told The Independent.
The emergence of the shocking surveillance footage, showing Combs kicking and punching Ms Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel, and his subsequent video apology, are indicators that further charges may be swiftly forthcoming.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, said that despite perceptions that “rich and famous people escape criminal justice”, the public outrage over the incident would likely “turn up political heat” on prosecutors.
Captured from multiple angles and obtained first by CNN, the footage from March 2016 shows Combs in a towel chasing Ms Ventura down the hallway before attacking her near elevators. He then attempts to drag her back down the corridor.
After pushing Ms Ventura to the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks her again as she lies on the floor. He is later seen throwing an object at her.
The video appears to corroborate several allegations made in a lawsuit brought by Ms Ventura in 2023, in which she claimed she was beaten by Combs on many occasions over 10 years. She further alleged she had been trafficked and raped by Combs, allegations which are not supported by the video and which he still denies.
The lawsuit was settled quickly after it was brought in November. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office also said that despite the “disturbing” footage, it was unable to prosecute the incident due to the statute of limitations, which was, at the time, three years for cases of assault.
Combs faces a string of civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape, which he has vehemently denied. In late March, federal agents with US Homeland Security raided two of the rapper’s houses in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a criminal sex trafficking probe.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Rahmani said he was surprised that it had taken federal prosecutors so long to bring charges against the rapper and producer. But he said that Combs’ online apology, posted to Instagram on Sunday, was “telling.”
“For six months Diddy’s lawyers denied the allegations, they called them ‘outrageous lies’. Then yesterday, he posted an apology on Instagram because he saw the writing on the wall,” he said.
“There’s no way you can deny what the entire world saw. People can lie. Lawyers can lie. Diddy can lie. But that video doesn’t lie. So I think Diddy knows that it’s just a matter of time.
“I do believe literally in a matter of days or weeks, he will be arrested.”
Mr Rahmani added that the hotel footage would also turn up “the political heat” on district attorneys – who are elected officials – due to the “public outcry” from the harrowing incident, which was part of “the worst kept secret in Hollywood”.
“Even though theoretically decisions should be made for purely legal reasons, there is a lot of political pressure on prosecutors to bring charges and a case like this that is so high profile,” he told The Independent.
“When there’s consistent abuse over a period of time and many victims… I think there’s gonna be a public outcry that is going to encourage prosecutors to act.”
The Independent has contacted representatives of Combs about the suggestion that he may be arrested imminently.
Los Angeles civil trial attorney Tre Lovell, said that though the footage was damning, it may not affect the multiple civil cases. Instead, he said, federal prosecutors may look to use it as part of their wider sex trafficking case.
“It’s a horrible incident and it’s domestic assault, but the feds are going after some bigger meat,” he told The Independent. “They’re going after, you know, a much, much more grand profile crime against him.”
“I think it’s certainly going to help in terms of showing an evidentiary trend for routinely committing [and] entering in a pattern scheme and instances of committing violent crime. But I think it’s going to have more of a modest place… because they are alleging stuff that is really bad.”
Like Mr Rahmani, Mr Lovell agreed that the hotel footage would also damage Combs more in the court of public opinion.
“I think in terms of this video in itself, I think it’s more of the public opinion that I certainly think he has a lot to worry about, because I think I think more stuff is going to come out,” he told The Independent.
“More instances of violence, more women are going to come out most likely when the feds are doing their investigation [and] there’s probably a lot that they have. So there’s probably a strong chance he’ll get indicted.”
In his apology video on Instagram, Combs described his behavior in 2016 as “inexcusable” and said he “takes full responsibility for his actions in the video”. He referred to the incident as “one of the darkest times in his life”, saying that he was “f***ed up” and is “disgusted by his actions”.
He also said he “has asked God for his mercy and grace” but is “not asking for forgiveness”, adding that he is “truly sorry” and that he sought professional help and went to therapy and rehab in the aftermath of the incident. He did not mention Ms Ventura by name.
The Independent has previously contacted representatives for both Combs and Ms Ventura for comment about the incident shown in the surveillance footage.
