Before R&B singer Casandra Ventura filed her civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, retired New York Police Department (NYPD) detective Derrick Parker said he knew trouble was brewing for the music mogul.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Mr. Parker told The Epoch Times. “I’m in touch with industry people, music executives, celebrities, and the streets do a lot of talking, too.”
On March 25, Mr. Combs’s Los Angeles and Miami properties were raided by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Ms. Ventura, known professionally as “Cassie,” is Mr. Combs’s ex-girlfriend and was formerly signed to his label. In her November 2023 lawsuit, she alleged Mr. Combs engaged in sexual violence, human trafficking, and gender-motivated violence during the course of their relationship, which reportedly ended in 2018.
Mr. Combs settled the lawsuit one day after it was filed.
As previously reported in The Epoch Times, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones sued Mr. Combs in February alleging racketeering, sexual assault, and sex trafficking during the time Mr. Jones was working on Mr. Combs’s 2023 album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”
However, HSI has not confirmed why it is investigating Mr. Combs, who has been known professionally over the years as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and Puffy.
“What law enforcement is doing is building a case,” Mr. Parker said. “They’re gathering all these complaints that people have said he’s done and they’re verifying them to see if they’re true. They’ve got two or three cooperators already.”
Known for his 2007 book, “Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First Hip-Hop Cop,” Mr. Parker has firsthand knowledge of Mr. Combs’s entanglements with the law.
When Mr. Parker was with the NYPD, he was the leader of a special unit focused on crime in the rap and hip-hop community.
“I arrested Sean Combs in the past in the Club New York shooting and in the Steve Stoute assault,” Mr. Parker said in an interview with The Epoch Times. “I’ve dealt with Puffy quite a few times.”
In May 1999, Interscope Records executive Steve Stoute accused Mr. Combs of bursting into his office and attacking him with two accomplices.
Seven months later, Mr. Combs was arrested with Jennifer Lopez after shots were fired at Club New York, a Times Square dance club.
Although part of Ms. Ventura’s settlement with Mr. Combs likely included a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), Mr. Parker claims a subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York would trump the NDA.
As a result, Mr. Parker believes Ms. Ventura is among the witnesses currently collaborating with federal law enforcement agencies.
Former NYPD detective Derrick Parker's book. (Courtesy of Derrick Parker)
“NDAs don’t work in federal court,” Mr. Parker said. “The federal court doesn’t even entertain those things. They can still question you. Once the Southern District has a case, and bites into you, that’s it.”
Allegations of intimate relations with minors that rival those lodged against Jeffrey Epstein will likely emerge against Mr. Combs as well, according to Mr. Parker. Mr. Epstein, who was jailed for allegedly sexually abusing multiple girls as young as 14 years old, died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in 2019.
“The government is subpoenaing Sean’s business records to see who he paid,” Mr. Parker said.
Although accusations are flying, Mr. Combs has not yet been arrested or charged but Mr. Parker believes there could be an indictment before the summer.
Mr. Combs’s attorney, Aaron Dyer, did not respond to requests for comment but previously issued a statement saying his client was never detained and that he spoke to and cooperated with authorities.
“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Mr. Dyer said. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
Former NYPD detective Derrick Parker turned private investigator. (Courtesy of Derrick Parker)
The probe by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) includes allegations of firearm violations, which, Mr. Parker said is why guns were confiscated during the raid along with phones belonging to Mr. Combs.
“They’re going to inspect the guns to see if they were used in any shootings because they can trace that,” Mr. Parker added. “They’re going to check to see if there’s any serial numbers that have been erased off of the guns and see if they were acquired illegally and if he was supposed to have possession of them or not. If he has a conviction or a felony, which he has, he may not qualify for possession.”
The DHS did not respond to requests for comment before press time.
Juliette Fairley is a freelance reporter for The Epoch Times and a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Born in Chateauroux, France, and raised outside of Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Juliette is a well-adjusted military brat. She has written for many publications across the country. Send Juliette story ideas at [email protected]
