This case *may* prove to be as culturally significant as the Epstein/Maxwell cases. We'll see.
The opening paragraph pulls no punches. It accuses Combs of setting up and operating a huge, multi-faceted criminal enterprise that provided him victims, money, protected his reputation, concealed his behaviors, etc.
This indictment extends to and impacts Combs' many businesses, all of which are complicit in enabling and/or concealing Combs many alleged crimes.
This includes the labels Bad Boy, Combs Enterprises, Combs Global, his record labels, adult bev company, media assets, etc.
Combs displayed a "persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals."
Combs forced people into sex work, drugging them, threatening their finances, their careers, and using violence if need be in order to "ensure participation."
Incidents of abuse involving Combs date back decades, and it appears prosecutors have some witnesses to these 2009 and 2016 incidents.
Yeah, I think there will be more charges and more indictments soon.
The Combs Enterprise.
Purposes of the Combs Enterprise
-Operating a global business
-Enriching members and associates
-Preserving, protecting, promoting, and enhancing the power, reputation, and brand of Sean Combs AS AN ENTERTAINER
-Preserving, protecting, promoting, and enhancing the power, reputation, and brand of Sean Combs THROUGH VIOLENCE, COERCION, ETC.
-Providing Combs with abuse victims
-Enabling Combs and others to engage in various unlawful acts
-Securing loyalty
-Protecting Combs Enterprise from Law Enforcement
Means and Methods
"Freak Offs"
"In or about March 2024, during searches of COMBS' residences in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California, law enforcement seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant."
What a monster.
Firearms were seized as well. We might see more charges for those.
More details of Combs and associates using violence, threats, bribes, etc to protect their enterprise and keep the abuse going.
If the allegations are true, what a monster. What an absolute monster.
Obviously this is all very Epstein/Maxwell-like, but in the Hollywood/Music Industry context. This is going to be a HUGE case, maybe trial, and will have a massive cultural impact.
The Racketeering Conspiracy
Whoa, the indictment alleges multiple acts of:
Kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, sex trafficking, transport of a prostitute, illegal sex acts, narcotics offenses, and ofc conspiracy to commit racketeering.
He didn't do all that alone.
All of the above was the intro and Count One-Racketeering.
Next is Count Two-Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion (Victim-1)
Wonder how many victims will eventually be brought forward?
Count Three-Transport to Engage in Prostitution
Forfeiture.
I've seen recent reports that Combs and his empire of businesses and assets are valued somewhere north of $800mil. Fox reported in April of this year that he may be worth over $1bil.
"the FBI had no intelligence about Trump or others associated with the Trump campaign being in contact with Russian intelligence officers during the campaign"
"Moreover, significant intelligence information that first became available for the FBI to review in 2018 showed that the Russians had access to sensitive U.S. government information years earlier that would have allowed them to identify Steele's subsources."
"Indeed, an experienced FBI analyst assessed that as a result of their access to the information, Steele's subsources could have been compromised by the Russians at a point in time prior to the date of the first Steele dossier report."
Picture this: Russian hackers are reading emails exchanged between members of think tanks, Hillary Clinton’s campaign staff, and Democratic leadership.
These hackers must translate the emails into Russian, analyze them, and produce reports for the SVR/Moscow.
When drafting their analytical memoranda, they attach only the key emails that support their findings, avoiding the inclusion of dozens of emails or detailed explanations of who sent what to whom or each person’s role.
The Crossfire Hurricane investigation was opened based on this single paragraph, which was itself based on a conversation overheard at a bar between Papadopoulos and an Australian diplomat.
The conversations happened on May 6 and May 10, 2016.
Over two months later, ON THE EXACT SAME DAY THAT HILLARY CLINTON APPROVED THE PLAN, July 26, Australia gives the notes on this conversation to U.S. State Dept officials in the U.K. and then hand it off to the FBI official at the London Embassy.
That was enough to spark an FBI investigation, which led to a FISA warrant on @GeorgePapa19 and then FISAs on other people (Page, @GenFlynn ) associated with the Trump campaign, and the full-fledged Crossfire Hurricane investigation had "oil poured into the fire" from the Steele Dossier, Alfa Bank, Yotophone...
🧵Late last night, DOJ filed responses in both the Epstein and Maxwell cases, addressing each judge’s questions regarding the unsealing of grand jury materials.
DOJ also submitted the following ex parte and under seal:
-An index of the grand jury materials
-A complete set of unredacted grand jury transcripts
-A complete set of redacted grand jury transcripts
-A description of other grand jury materials (exhibits, etc.)
DOJ's effort to unseal the Epstein grand jury material in SDFL was recently denied due to the 11th Circuit's binding opinion in Pitch v. United States, which restricted the judge in that case from unsealing them.
DOJ knew this going in and conceded it in their filing. They made the filing, knowing it would be denied, for purposes of appeal later.
In the 2nd Circuit, where SDNY is, that court has held that “there are certain ‘special circumstances’ in which release of grand jury records is appropriate..."
Investigative Referral of Possible Clinton Campaign Plan
Late July 2016, U.S. intel “obtains insight” into Russian intel analysis that alleges a Clinton Plan to frame Trump for collusion with Russia
CIA Director Brennan briefs President Obama
(Note: Crossfire Hurricane begins just days later on July 30 2016)
An investigative referral is made by the CIA a month later on September 7, 2016 and forwarded to Comey and Strzok
Special Counsel Durham (referred to as The Office in this report) considered the Clinton Plan Intelligence relevant for two reasons:
1. It “arguably suggested that private actors affiliated with the Clinton campaign were seeking in 2016 to promote a false or exaggerated narrative to the public and to U.S. government agencies…”
“The Clinton Plan Intelligence prompted the Office to consider”
-Was there a plan?
-If there was, did it involved “intentionally [providing] knowingly false and/or misleading information to the FBI or other agencies in furtherance of such a plan”
*cough* CONSPIRACY *cough* RICO *cough*
2. The Clinton Plan was interested Durham because “it was part of the mosaic of information that became known to certain U.S. officials at or before the time they made critical decisions” re: Crossfire Hurricane and in related LE and intel efforts.