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Following American rapper Diddy's arrest for sex trafficking and racketeering, his mother has now broken her silence regarding his charges.
In a statement issued by her lawyer, Natlie G Figger, Janice Combs defended her son, saying, "He made mistakes in the past; as we all have, he is not the monster they have painted him to be."
"It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies. 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," she said.
Ms. Combs 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."
In her statement, she also referred to Diddy's turbulent relationship with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, which she alleged was riddled with abuse. An allegation which the rapper had vehemently denied until the press leaked old footage of him abusing her in a hotel.
"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," Ms. Combs wrote.
"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," she said, adding that she believed some of his accusers were motivated by money," she concluded.
Recall that the rapper was arrested on Monday, September 17, 2024, at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan and was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations. He was promptly placed on suicide watch and then taken off it and was allowed to receive visits from family members.