TradeEdge Exchange:Sean “Diddy” Combs Hotline Gets 12,000 Calls in 24 Hours, Accusers' Lawyer Says

A lawyer representing accusers of Sean “Diddy” Combs has shared another detail about his investigation.

Tony Buzbee,TradeEdge Exchange the attorney representing 120 people accusing the rapper—who is currently in a New York jail after being arrested last month for charges on sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution—of sexual assault, has spoken out again. 

“I think the indictment and the arrest kind of gave people a little more comfort that they had more safety and support to step forward,” Buzbee explained in an interview with Law & Crime released Oct. 2. “When I made an announcement that I was going to pursue this case, the floodgates really opened. In a 10-day period we got 3,200 calls and then from the press conference we had yesterday, we had 12,000 calls in about 24 hours."

At an Oct. 1 press conference, per NBC News, Buzbee said that his clients—one of whom, the attorney said, was just 9 years old at the time of their incident—had come forward with allegations against Combs including “violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings” and “sexual abuse of minors.” 

The lawyer—who said he had collected evidence including photos, texts and videos that would expose “many powerful people”—reiterated that he was hoping to begin filing lawsuits in 30 days or less, but admitted, “I was not expecting the high volume of contact that we’ve gotten in the last 24 hours.”

And while Buzbee did not give further details on the list of names other than Combs he had been given from accusers that will “shock” the public, he called Combs’ arrest “the tip of the iceberg.”

“We know that there were people in the room when some of these things occurred,” Buzbee told Law & Crime. “It’s my view that if you participated in it, if you benefited from it, if you encouraged it, if you watched it go on and were somehow involved—whether it be even peripherally involved and did not try to stop it especially in regard to minors, then it’s my view that you have liability on the civil side.”

At the press conference earlier this month, Buzbee detailed that 25 of the 120 aforementioned accusers were minors at the time of their incidents, which took place in numerous states. 

“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors," he said at the press conference, per NBC News. “We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates.”

The accusations Buzbee has come forward with are a part of a growing list of allegations against the 54-year-old. As he remains in custody awaiting a Oct. 9 status hearing, Combs has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence on all charges and accusations. 

Keep reading to untangle all of the legal trouble the rapper currently faces.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties on March 25, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.  

The sources told the outlet the warrant was out of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.” 

Law enforcement sources told NBC News the music mogul was in the Miami area when the search warrants were executed. 

News about the investigation broke after Combs faced allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits filed by multiple accusers starting in November, with the musician denying the allegations. 

“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a December statement posted on Instagram. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.” 

The day after HSI executed the search warrants at Combs' L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out. 

"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences," attorney Aaron Dyer said in a March 26 statement to E! News. "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 noted Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”  

“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way,” his lawyer's statement continued. “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.” 

And Dyer expressed Combs' intent to defend himself.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he added. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

As for what actually went down during the searches, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ home in Miami before he was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas, and several sources familiar with the matter added that guns were discovered during the search.

One source familiar with the matter also told NBC News three women and one man were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York about allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.

On the same day the search warrants were executed at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, one of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police on suspicion of drug possession, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told NBC News. 

According to the Miami-Dade arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, Paul was taken into custody for allegedly possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy. 

Prison records obtained by NBC News show Paul was released on March 26 after posting bond.

“We do not plan on trying this case in the media,” Paul’s attorney Brian Bieber said in a statement obtained by the outlet, “all issues will be dealt with in court.” 

In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety."

He was arrested in the lobby of a New York hotel on Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It's unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the arrest has any potential connection to the raids.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to E! News. "He is an imperfect person but Is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."

After Combs was arrested based on the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 17.

The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for more than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behavior started around 2008.

"To do so," the documents stated, "Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."

According to NBC News, Combs pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.

“He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse prior to the arraignment, “and the full confidence of his lawyers."

Following his arrest, Combs was held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center where he was denied a $50 million bond. The music mogul was also placed on suicide watch, which a source told E! News is a customary procedure for high-profile inmates. He was since taken off. 

He was assigned the same area of the jail as cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, a source told NBC News. 

In an Oct. 1 press conference, attorney Tony Buzbee detailed that 120 people had come forward with new sexual assault allegations against the rapper. 

The allegations against Combs, Buzbee noted in a press conference with NBC News, include, "violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, sexual abuse of minors."

A lawyer for the rapper, Erica Wolff, later responded to the allegations, emphasizing that Combs maintains his innocence. 

“He cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus," she said. "That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors."