Alexandra Del Rosario | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
Janice Combs says her son Sean “Diddy” Combs is not the “monster” accusers, prosecutors and the public are making him out to be.
The elder Combs broke her silence on the sex trafficking and sexual assault allegations against her superstar son in a Sunday statement posted on Instagram by her attorney. She writes, “It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies.”
She continued: “To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.”
Janice Combs defended her son less than a month after he was arrested in New York amid a sweeping federal probe. The fallen music mogul and Bad Boy Records founder has pleaded not guilty to all charges: three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The Grammy-winning rapper remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, as he awaits trial.
Janice Combs says she knows her son has flaws and admits he “may not have been entirely truthful about certain things,” namely allegations that he was physically violent toward ex-girlfriend and singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who sued the singer last year. The case was swiftly settled but opened the floodgates to further allegations of disturbing behavior by Sean Combs. The aftermath, his mother alleged, resulted in a “ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”
Janice Combs took aim at more than just the federal government. She challenged the authenticity of other sexual assault and sexual abuse allegations against her son, calling them “lies” from people “seeking a financial gain, and not justice.” She alleged that people “falsely accusing my son” would interfere with “true victims of sexual assault” finding justice. She also accused federal prosecutors of basing their investigation on the so-called lies.
Last week, plaintiffs’ attorney Tony Buzbee said in a news conference that Combs will soon face an additional lawsuit with allegations from more than 100 accusers, some of whom were minors at the time of the alleged offenses.
“Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget,” Janice Combs said. “It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side.”
In her statement, she doubled down on her son’s innocence, referencing individuals “who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated.” Those individuals — whom she did not name — “had their freedom taken from them …. because they didn’t fit the image of what society considers to be a ‘good person.’”
Janice Combs urged her son’s supporters to withhold their judgment and consider those who have been wrongly persecuted. She concluded her statement: “(Diddy) deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated.”
Earlier this year, Janice Combs was hospitalized after experiencing chest pains, according to multiple reports. Sources told TMZ that the rapper’s mother believes the pains were related to stress over his lawsuits and other legal troubles. Diddy was by his mother’s side when she was hospitalized.
A source told the outlet, “He’s her comfort in this.”
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