What Do Diddy's Sex Trafficking Accusations Mean? A legal expert explains

Diddy was not charged with a crime, but his homes were raided by federal authorities.

Rapper and music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs faces numerous allegations of sexual abuse in several lawsuits, including claims alleging he trafficked victims.

Diddy's legal troubles intensified last week when federal agents searched his homes in Miami and Los Angeles, although no charges have yet been filed. Homeland Security Investigations New York, which executed the search warrants, did not reveal many details about the searches, only that they were “part of an ongoing investigation,” a spokesperson told PEOPLE.

In December, Diddy released a statement obtained by PEOPLE vehemently denying the lawsuits filed up to that point. (The first lawsuit against Diddy was filed in November.)

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Over the past few weeks, I have sat in silence and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” Diddy wrote. “Sickening allegations have been brought against me by individuals looking for a quick paycheck.

Related: A Timeline of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Sexual Assault Allegations and Lawsuits

But what exactly is sex trafficking? The Trafficking and Violence Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines sex trafficking in federal law: “The recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sexual act, in which the sexual act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not reached the age 18 years old.

Neama Rahmani, a California-based attorney and former federal prosecutor, says the sex trafficking allegations are potentially the most serious Diddy faces, especially if he is ultimately charged with a sex trafficking crime.

“Under federal law, sex trafficking carries very harsh penalties,” says Rahmani, noting that the maximum penalty is life in prison.

The lawsuit that first accused Diddy of sex trafficking was filed by his ex, singer Casandra Ventura, better known as Cassie. She claimed that Diddy subjected her to sex trafficking by forcing her to engage in sex acts with sex workers and filmed the encounters, which he allegedly called “freak-offs.”

A settlement agreement between the two was reached the next day. After the settlement, Diddy's attorney Ben Brafman told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that the deal was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”

Cassie's complaint alleged that Diddy beat her during “freak-offs” and that “between the physical beatings and the recognition of his incredible power and character,” she felt she was incapable of saying no to him. Additionally, she claimed that Diddy would give her gifts before or during meetings, which the complaint said reflected a gesture intended to reward her for her “work.”

Rahmani, who has prosecuted human trafficking cases in the past, says the threat of violence to coerce a person into engaging in a sex act could constitute sex trafficking, as the law provides.

“If you look [Cassie’s] allegations that she was raped, forced to take drugs, forced to have sex with prostitutes [Diddy] recorded, that’s how you kind of get to the angle of force,” explains Rahmani. “If there’s force, it’s sex trafficking.”

Related: Diddy's Lawsuit's Biggest Bombshells: Disturbing Allegations of Rape, Sex Trafficking and More

A lawsuit filed Dec. 6 by a woman identified as Jane Doe alleges that when she was 17, Diddy, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre, and a third unnamed defendant trafficked her into taking him from Michigan to Diddy's studio in New York. where she claims to have been “violently gang raped”.

Pierre's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.

Rahmani says that if true, Doe's allegations could fall under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, which specifies that trafficking applies to alleged victims under 18 years old.

In February, Diddy and several other associates were named as defendants in a lawsuit accusing the Bad Boy founder of sex trafficking as well as several other serious allegations, including sexual assault, by producer Rodney “Lil' Rod” Jones.

Related: Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Homes Raided by Federal Law Enforcement Amid Sex Trafficking Prosecution

Diddy's attorney, Shawn Holley, issued a categorical denial, obtained by PEOPLE.

“Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who shamelessly filed a $30 million lawsuit looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless naming of events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to grab headlines,” Holley said, claiming he had ” indisputable proof” that these assertions were false.

Although no charges have been filed, Rahmani says he wouldn't be surprised if criminal charges were filed soon, given the timing of the searches.

“They're not going to get search warrants for Diddy's home in Los Angeles and Miami unless they're about to arrest him,” Rahmani said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.

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