Homeland Security Investigations executed warrants out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday and seized the music mogul’s phones in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas.
Combs is a subject of a federal criminal investigation amid several lawsuits filed against him in recent months, a source familiar with the matter said.
The source said three women and a man had been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
It was not immediately clear what kind of firearms were found or whom they belonged to.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, described Monday’s searches as “gross overuse of military-level force.” Neither Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested, Dyer noted in his statement.
“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Dyer said. “Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”
Combs is innocent and “will continue to fight every single day to clear his name,” Dyer said, adding that Combs had not been found liable for the allegations against him.
Since November, Combs has been the subject of numerous civil lawsuits following a civil suit from his former romantic partner Cassie, who accused him of physically and sexually abusing her for years. Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, used the New York Adult Survivors Act, which offered a one-year window for adult victims of sexual assault to come forward with civil claims regardless of the statute of limitations.
She and Combs settled the suit a day after she filed it in New York. Combs has rejected the accusations, calling them offensive and outrageous.
Since then, three other women have filed lawsuits in the Southern District of New York alleging that Combs sexually assaulted them. Two said they were teenagers at the time.
Combs has denied each of the sexual assault allegations, calling them “sickening.”
A former employee who worked for Combs from September 2022 to November 2023 also filed a lawsuit in February alleging that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him for more than a year. In his suit, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a producer, also alleged that he had video and audio evidence of Combs, his staff members and others “engaging in serious illegal activity.”
The cases are ongoing, and Combs has denied the allegations.
Also Tuesday, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter confirmed that a man arrested on drug charges at a Miami airport Monday is an associate of Combs.
Brendan Paul, 25, was arrested Monday at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on charges of possession of suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy, according to a police report.
Paul’s arrest came the same day federal agents conducted search warrants at properties in Miami and Los Angeles owned by Combs.
Court records show Paul was released on bond Tuesday. A woman who answered the phone at a number listed for Paul hung up on an NBC News reporter.
Paul’s attorney, Brian Bieber, told NBC News on Wednesday, “we do not plan on trying this case in the media — all issues will be dealt with in Court.”
Brendan Paul is named in the civil lawsuit against Combs that was filed by Jones, the music producer. Jones alleges that he and a man named Brendan Paul were required to carry drugs and firearms for Combs when Combs traveled.
Photographs in the civil lawsuit suit of that person are similar to the Paul shown in the booking mugshot from Miami-Dade authorities.
A representative for Combs did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
A request to the Miami office for Customs and Border Protection inquiring whether Paul was traveling with Combs was forwarded to Homeland Security Investigations.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com