Diddy and Epstein similarities revealed in latest allegations
by MARJORIE HERNANDEZ WEST COAST NEWS EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM · Mail OnlineFriends and collaborators of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continue to disassociate themselves from the Bad Boy mogul — just as others have done when billionaire Jeffrey Epstein faced similar criminal charges.
On the latest episode of DailyMail.com's podcast 'The Trial of Diddy', attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard against the music producer, said there were plenty of 'complicit' enablers around Combs.
'It reminds me very much of Jeffrey Epstein,' said Bloom, who represented 11 of the business mogul's victims in lawsuits. '[Epstein] had a whole operation with Ghislaine Maxwell and other recruiters.
'And similarly with Sean Combs, we think there's a lot of people and companies who were complicit and we named them. Well, of course, those people don't like being named.'
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Bloom said since Richard filed the lawsuit against Combs and his associates in September, some have responded against the allegations and have tried to distance themselves from the 'Bad Boy for Life' rapper.
Richard is suing for sexual assault, breach of contract, false imprisonment, forced labor, violation of sex trafficking acts and battery.
Combs, 55, remains locked up at a Brooklyn jail and has been charged by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York for sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Epstein faced similar charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges, but unlike Combs, Epstein was accused of trafficking and engaging in sex acts with dozens of minors — some as young as 14.
Epstein never faced those charges in court and died by suicide on Aug. 10, 2019. His longtime friend and 'madam' Maxwell, however, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse minors.
Combs has been hit with civil lawsuits that alleged he also sexually assaulted minors, but no criminal charges involving teens has been included in his criminal indictment.
The rapper and music producer has denied all the charges against him. His lawyers have also maintained his innocence as Combs faces more than two dozen sexual assault cases in New York and California.
In her suit, Richard claimed Combs had groped her while she was in her dressing room and was allegedly subjected to 'overt sexual advances'.
She also claimed she was in fear for her life several times during the time she worked for Combs and was allegedly starved for hours and was not given breaks when she was working for the producer.
During one instance in 2010, Richard claimed she was imprisoned in a Bentley for about two hours after Combs threatened to harm her.
According to the lawsuit: 'Ms. Richard screamed as loudly as she could, but no one responded. It was late evening in the wintertime, the windows were heavily tinted, and the interior of the car was dark except for faint interior lights. Ms. Richard’s belongings and winter coat were in the studio, while the ignition was off and there was no heat.
'With Mr. Combs’ prior threats and violence running through her mind, Ms. Richard felt sheer panic, terror, and feelings of claustrophobia at being locked in a small, dark, enclosed space with no way to communicate or call for help. She began to feel cold and feared for her life, not knowing when or if she would be released'
Outside of Combs, Richard has sued his companies Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean Combs Music, Inc. and Love Records. Janice Combs Publishing Holdings — a company helmed by Combs mother, Janice — and Universal Music Group are also named in the lawsuit.
Other companies who were initially filed as co-defendants, including Sony Songs, Epic Records and Diageo — the company that distributed Combs' Ciroq venture — have been dropped from the case.
'They don't like being associated with Sean Combs,' Bloom told DailyMail.com. 'Many of them have come to us and said, "We shouldn't be in the case. Here's why you have to dismiss us."
'So, we've had a lot of back and forth with them. We're willing to listen to evidence. I've always said just because somebody was at a party or did business with Sean Combs does not mean that they were complicit.'
Bloom added, 'They may not have known, but if they did know and they turned a blind eye to it and they funded him, then they were complicit and then we're not letting them out of the case.'
Bloom said they will be back in front of a judge in January for Richard's case.
One mega star who is staying clear from Combs is former collaborator Jay-Z.
The 55-year old 'Empire State of Mind' rapper — real name Shawn Carter — was named in a civil suit with Combs accusing both men of raping a then 13-year-old girl after the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000.
On Monday, Jay-Z's lawyer Alex Shapiro insisted Carter 'doesn't know anything' about the allegations against his client or the criminal charges against Combs.
'Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs' case or Mr. Combs,' the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP lawyer said. 'They knew each other professionally for a number of years, just like in all professions, people know each other.'
Shapiro continued: 'At the Music Awards, they support each other. If you go to the NBA All Star game, they support each other. That's just how professions work.'
'There is no closer association between any of them, that's also a matter of fiction. That's all that there is.'