Will Diddy be charged? Former colleagues detail alleged history of harassment in new report

A new report from Rolling Stone reveals that Sean “Diddy” Combs has a history of violent and dangerous behavior toward women and his employees at Bad Boy Entertainment.

The music mogul has not yet been charged with any of the crimes he is accused of, but anonymous sources tell Rolling Stone and CNN that New York and federal investigators are closing in on Combs in the wake of eight civil lawsuits filed against him since November, as well as a Homeland Security investigation into the March raids of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

Combs has denied all allegations against him, though he apologized to his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, after CNN earlier this month released surveillance footage of him physically assaulting her at a hotel in 2016.

In a report published Wednesday, CNN said potential witnesses have been notified that they may be called to testify against Combs before a federal grand jury in New York. On Tuesday, Rolling Stone reported that the Southern District of New York had interviewed potential witnesses regarding sex trafficking and racketeering allegations, as well as Combs’ alleged ties to the Black Mafia family cartel.

Several former Bad Boy record label employees and sources claim in a Rolling Stone report that Combs has a violent past that dates back to before his fame. Sources also confirmed claims of sexual assault and abuse in lawsuits filed by Cassie, Joi Dickerson-Neal and Crystal McKinney.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Combs’ lawyer Jonathan Davis said: “Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending proceedings, and cannot address every allegation raised by the press from any source, no matter how implausible . We are aware that the relevant authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and are therefore confident that any important issues will be raised in the appropriate forum where the rules distinguish fact from fiction.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Combs’ representatives for comment.

Howard students allege Diddy physically abused and harassed ex-girlfriend

Combs attended Howard University, where, according to Rolling Stone magazine’s sources, he was known both for hosting lavish parties and for alleged acts of violence.

One former student told the website that the “Act Bad” singer often interrupted his then-girlfriend’s English class to force her to leave. “She was tensing up (when Combs showed up),” said a student who sat next to the girl. “He just had a strange sense of control. I felt he was afraid.”

In the newly revealed allegations, the student and another anonymous Howard alumnus claimed they also witnessed Combs physically attack his then-girlfriend.

“He was yelling and screaming and acting like a jerk until she came downstairs,” the alleged witness said, adding that he apparently hit her “everywhere” with what looked like a belt. Combs “beat her in the ass — really beat her in the ass.”

They added: “She tried to defend herself a bit. She cried. And we said to him, “Get away from her.” We screamed for her.”

A third student told the website: “None of this was a surprise to me. You’re already an oppressor (in college). You already felt like you had to have some power over people.”

The girl involved in the alleged attack declined to comment.

The woman claims Diddy tried to talk her into having sex at a party in 2001

The first-ever accusation was made by a woman using the pseudonym “Anna,” who told Rolling Stone that Combs tried to have sex with her at a party in 2001, after Combs was acquitted of gun charges in connection with a verbal altercation that took place in December 1999 at the now defunct Club New York in Times Square.

Combs allegedly hosted a party to celebrate the verdict when Combs approached Anna, a freelance graphic designer who works with Bad Boy’s marketing team. “I am being touched on my arm, shoulders and back. He said, ‘Oh, yeah, do you like that? I know you like it». Really, really disgusting,” she said. “I thought, ‘No, not really,’ and I kind of floated out of there.”

Anna says she learned weeks later from her boss’s girlfriend that Combs had allegedly asked his boss to “solicit sex” on behalf of the music mogul. “I felt really unsettled about it for years. When people ask me about my Bad Boy days, it’s all overshadowed by his shit,” she said.

Kate Supporters say Diddy is not a “real man.” Experts say that response is unhelpful.

Former and current Bad Boy Entertainment employees have detailed alleged abusive behavior from Diddy over the years.

Bad Boy co-founder and former CEO Kirk Burrowes, who was fired in 1997, and another former employee claimed they witnessed Combs attack a woman in an office in 1994 and had to pull him away from her.

Felicia Newsome, a former manager at Bad Boy’s recording studio Daddy’s House, added that she also had to hold Combs “by the waist” as he was about to “beat up that girl” during an argument between the two women.

Daddy’s House is the location where 17-year-old Jane Doe was allegedly gang raped by Combs and former Bad Boy Entertainment executive Harve Pierre in 2003.

As Bad Boy’s success grew after The Notorious B.I.G.’s murder in 1997, employees say Combs became an overbearing boss and people had to learn to “speak Puffy” to stay employed.

“Nobody on his team at Bad Boy would talk back to him,” Newsome said. “Nobody would challenge him.” Another source said: “He was so explosive. He’s always on the edge of being explosive and scary. People would do whatever he told them to do to stay in his good graces… and Puffy would exploit people’s desires to be in those environments.”

According to insiders, Diddy physically attacked Kim Porter and her ex

Actress and model Kim Porter, who died of pneumonia in November 2018, dated Combs on and off from 1994 to 2007. They had three children: son Christian, 26, and twin daughters D’Lila Star and Jessie James ( 16 years). They also raised 32-year-old Quincy Brown, Porter’s son with singer and record producer Al B. Sure.

Two sources claimed the music mogul was physically abusive to her, with former Bad Boy rapper Mark Curry adding: “I remember Kim going through a lot of things. If you live near them, you see a toxic relationship. … I think every relationship that he had and that I experienced around him was like that.”

In 2000, Porter briefly dated late music director Shakir Stewart, which his mother said led to him assaulting her son. Combs “left (Shakir) bleeding on the floor of a hotel in Italy,” said Stewart’s mother, Portia. “He had to get stitches and then (Combs) threatened him… ‘I’m going to kill you.'”

She added: “That’s when I said you need to get out of this business. This man is crazy.”

Burrowes theorized that Combs’ childhood “abandonment,” including the murder of his father, contributed to his former co-founder’s “vicious cycle.” “And women are the worst affected by it,” he added.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy: Rolling Stone report alleges abuse, charges pending