MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Rapper Diddy hasn’t been seen publicly since the raids on his Miami Beach and Los Angeles homes amid a reported federal sex trafficking investigation.
But there’s reason to believe that the music mogul, whose real name is Sean Combs, was at his Star Island mansion Wednesday.
Private guards at 2 W. Star Island Drive spent hours fussing with umbrellas to shield a car. If they were decoys to throw off onlookers there to track Combs, they worked.
Those vehicles left the house shortly before Local 10 News learned Combs’ private plane landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport just after 1 p.m. Wednesday. The plane was seen taxiing away late Wednesday night, but there had been no sign of Combs.
It was at the Opa-locka airport where a man who’s been accused in litigation of acting as a “mule” for Combs was arrested on drug charges earlier in the week.
Since federal agents served one of two search warrants at the Star Island mansion Monday, a celebrity-soaked narrative exploded into the headlines about a sex trafficking investigation headed by federal prosecutors in New York City.
That criminal case may draw witnesses and probable cause from the series of civil lawsuits from prior girlfriends and a producer with stories and photos and documented video of underage sex trafficking, drug-fueled sex abuse, intimidation and violence.
Combs’ Miami base plays a prominent role in lawsuits. For example, a producer claimed he was sent to the Booby Trap on the River strip club to hire sex workers to bring to the house.
At his Star Island address agents seized Combs’ electronics, including a silver MacBook Air.
Local 10 News confirmed with the Southern District of New York Wednesday that the search warrants were not yet public record, so it’s unclear exactly what agents were looking for. Combs has denied any wrongdoing.
Local 10 News understands that he still holds a passport and continues to life a celebrity lifestyle.