NovaQuant-Is Diddy getting charged? Former associates detail alleged history of abuse in new report

Sean "Diddy" Combs has a history of violent and NovaQuantdangerous behavior toward women and his employees at Bad Boy Entertainment, according to a new report from Rolling Stone.

The music mogul has yet to be charged for any of the alleged crimes, but unnamed sources tell Rolling Stone and CNN that New York and federal investigators are closing in on Combs, following the eight civil lawsuits filed against him since November and the Homeland Security Investigations raid of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March.

Combs has denied all accusations against him, although he has since apologized to ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura after a surveillance video obtained by CNN earlier this month depicted him physically assaulting her at a hotel in 2016.

Sources told CNN in a report published Wednesday that possible witnesses have been notified that they could be called to testify against Combs in front of a federal grand jury in New York City. Rolling Stone similarly reported Tuesday that the Southern District of New York has interviewed potential witnesses for a sex trafficking and racketeering claims as well Combs' alleged connections to the Black Mafia Family cartel.

Several former Bad Boy music label employees and sources allege in Rolling Stone's report that Combs has a violent past that dates before he rose to fame. Sources also corroborated claims of sexual assault and abuse in lawsuits filed by Cassie, Joi Dickerson-Neal and Crystal McKinney.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Combs' attorney Jonathan Davis said, "Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending litigation, and cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable. We are aware that the proper authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and therefore have confidence any important issues will be addressed in the proper forum, where the rules distinguish facts from fiction."

USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Combs for comment.

Howard students allege Diddy physically abused and harassed ex-girlfriend

Combs attended Howard University where sources told Rolling Stone he was known both for throwing lavish parties and establishing the beginning of alleged violent behavior.

One former student told the outlet, the "Act Bad" singer would often disrupt his then-girlfriend's English class to get her to ditch. "She would tense up (when Combs appeared)," the student, who sat next to the girlfriend, said. "He just had a weird control thing. I felt like she was fearful."

In newly revealed allegations, the student and another anonymous Howard alum alleged they also witnessed Combs' physically attack the then-girlfriend.

"He screamed and hollered and acted a stone fool until she came downstairs," an alleged witness said, adding that he appeared to strike her "all over the place" with what appeared to be a belt. Combs "whupped her butt — like really whupped her butt."

They added: "She was trying to defend herself a little bit. She was crying. And we were telling him, ‘Get off of her.’ We were screaming for her."

A third student told the outlet: "None of this was really a surprise for me. You're already an abuser (in college). You were already feeling you had to have certain power over people."

The girlfriend involved in the alleged attack declined to comment.

Woman alleges Diddy wanted to solicit her for sex at a 2001 party

In a first-time allegation, a woman under the pseudonym "Anna" told Rolling Stone Combs attempted to have sex with her at a party in 2001 after he was acquitted on weapons charges stemming from a shooting scuffle at the now-defunct Club New York in Times Square in December 1999.

Combs allegedly threw a party in celebration of the verdict when Anna, a freelance graphic designer working with Bad Boy’s marketing team, was approached by Combs. "I'm getting touched on my shoulder, my arms, my back. He's like, 'Oh, yeah, you like that? I know you like that.' Like really, really gross," she claimed. "I was like, ‘No, not so much,’ and I sort of floated my way out of there."

Anna says she discovered weeks later from her boss' girlfriend that Combs allegedly requested her boss "solicit me for sex" on behalf of the music mogul. "I felt quite unsettled about this for many years. When people ask me about my days at Bad Boy, it's just overshadowed by his crap," she said.

Cassiesupporters say Diddy isn't a 'real man.' Experts say that response isn't helpful.

Bad Boy Entertainment past and present employees described Diddy's alleged abusive behavior throughout the years

Bad Boy co-founder and former president Kirk Burrowes, who was fired in 1997, and another ex-employee claimed they witnessed Combs attack a woman in the office in 1994 and had to tear him off her.

Felicia Newsome, former manager of Bad Boy's recording studio Daddy's House, added that she also had to hold Combs "by his waist" as he was about to "beat this girl" amid a fight between two women.

Daddy's House is where a 17-year-old Jane Doe has alleged she was gang raped by Combs and former Bad Boy Entertainment executive Harve Pierre in 2003.

As the success of Bad Boy grew after the murder The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997, employees claim Combs became an overbearing boss and people needed to learn how to "speak Puffy" in order to remain employed.

"No one on his team at Bad Boy spoke back to him," Newsome said. "No one challenged him." Another source said, "He was so volatile. He's always on the edge of snapping and being scary. People did whatever he said to stay in his good graces … and Puffy exploited people's desires to be in those environments."

Diddy physically attacked Kim Porter and her ex, insiders claim

Actress and model Kim Porter, who died from pneumonia in November 2018, dated Combs on and off from 1994 to 2007. They shared three children: son Christian, 26, and twin daughters D'Lila Star and Jessie James, 16. They also raised 32-year-old Quincy Brown, Porter's son with singer and record producer Al B. Sure. 

Two sources claimed the music mogul physically abused her, with former Bad Boy rapper Mark Curry adding, "I remember Kim used to go through a lot of stuff. If you live around them, you get to see the toxic relationship. …  I think every relationship he had that I experienced around him was like that."

Porter briefly dated late music executive Shakir Stewart in 2000, which his mother said led to an assault on her son. Combs "left (Shakir) bleeding on a hotel floor in Italy," Stewart's mother, Portia, said. "He had to have stitches and then (Combs) threatened him … 'I'm going to kill you.'"

She added: "That's when I said you need to get out of this business. This man is crazy."

Burrowes theorized Combs' childhood "abandonment," including the murder of his father, contributed to his former co-founder's "vicious" cycle. "And the women catch it the worst," he said.