A music mogul’s alleged plan to use his relationship with a famous Dallas pastor to clean up his image amid legal troubles has been dashed by a federal investigation into the former’s alleged sex trafficking.
The names of several celebrities — including T.D. Jakes, the pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas — have appeared so far in the growing legal filings targeting Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The hip-hop notable has found himself the target of several civil lawsuits filed this past year. In two of them, the plaintiffs — Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and former collaborator, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones — allege he engaged in sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and more.
While Combs claimed in late February that these allegations were false and aimed at assassinating his character, Homeland Security Investigations and local law enforcement personnel recently raided his properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking probe directed by federal prosecutors of the Southern District of New York, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In light of this, the claims — and the named persons — appearing in the lawsuits have come under considerable scrutiny.
For instance, Jones’ lawsuit refers to Combs allegedly holding “freak-off parties,” which attracted all kinds of celebrities, such as Prince Harry.
“Mr. Combs possesses compromising footage of every person that has attended his freak-off parties, and his house parties,” the lawsuit read, per LA Times. “Upon information and belief, due to this treasure trove of evidence he has in his possession, Mr. Combs believes that he is above the law and is untouchable.”
Social media rumors circulated saying Jakes frequented such gatherings late last year, yet they were never confirmed, per The Dallas Morning News. Jakes denied any truth to the rumors at the time.
However, Jakes does appear in Jones’ legal filing, with the producer claiming that he had evidence that Combs intended to use his relationship with the pastor to clean up his image in the wake of Ventura’s allegations, per DMN.
Due to the covert nature of sex trafficking, the exact magnitude of it is difficult to know for certain. Nevertheless, between 15,000 to 50,000 women and children are estimated to fall victim each year in the United States alone, per DeliverFund, an anti-trafficking nonprofit. Prostitution helps drive sex trafficking and has become a substantial issue in Northwest Dallas.
Of the 85 prostitution offenses logged this year as of March 27, 62 occurred in Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Last year, reported incidents within this category of crime rose 100.3% compared to the year prior.