Janice Combs, Sean "Diddy" Combs' mother, broke her silence Sunday and admitted she was left "devastated and profoundly saddened" by the allegations waged against her son, she said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
Diddy was arrested Sept. 16 and charged the next day with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He entered a not guilty plea hours after an indictment detailing his alleged sex crimes was unsealed. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
"It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies," Janice Combs wrote. "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. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence."
She pleaded, "My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated."
"I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not," Janice Combs said. "He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have. My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise."
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She added, "Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt."
Surveillance video taken from a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 allegedly showed the billionaire publicly assaulting his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura. In the footage, Sean Combs "kicked, dragged, and threw a vase at a woman as she was attempting to leave," the indictment said. "When a member of the hotel security staff intervened, Combs attempted to bribe the staff member to ensure silence."
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"It is important to recognize that none of us, regardless of our status, are immune to fear or mistakes," Janice Combs said. "Not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him. Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person.' History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes."
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She continued, "Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget. 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."
Janice Combs believed people were seeking "financial gain" through telling lies about her son, and not pursuing justice. "These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son," she said. "False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve."
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Janice Combs accused the federal government of engaging in similar tactics "to prosecute my son," and said the injustice has been "unbearable" on their family.
"The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him," she said before asking his supporters to not "judge him before you’ve had the chance to hear his side."
"I beg you to think about those who have been wrongfully persecuted, to remember that not everyone who has made mistakes in life deserves to have their entire existence judged by a single action or a few mistakes," she wrote.
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Authorities alleged Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Diddy and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Combs' orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'freak offs.'"
Prior to the U.S. Attorney's press conference in September, Combs' attorney said they plan to fight for the rapper to be released.
