Earlier this week, Sean Combs, better known as “Diddy,” charged by a federal grand jury with racketeering and sex trafficking. Combs, like all defendants, is presumed innocent, but the charges are devastating. Beyond the abuses allegedly committed by Combs personally, the indictment alleges that he relied on a network of employees and other close friends to facilitate and cover up the predation. The group allegedly thrived on demanding absolute loyalty and promoting Combs’ power, reputation and brand.
As they say, the allegations are not surprising. After all, rumors have been around for a long time Combs’ potential criminal behavior. And he was hardly alone. Time and time again, the rich and famous are accused of openly abusing their victims and, often, relying on others to carry out and cover up the abuse, sometimes for decades. Bill Cosby. R. Kelly. Harvey Weinstein. His powers remain unchecked. Its popularity has not stopped.
In Combs’ case, law enforcement acted quickly after the allegations surfaced. In March, Homeland Security agents searched his mansion in LA and Miami as part of the investigation that led to the indictment this week. Prompt intervention by law enforcement may be the only true way to stop the abuse.
Without it, the cycle is self-reinforcing. Abusers use power and networks to prevent victims from speaking, through explicit or indirect threats, exploiting their fear of influence. As the public and law enforcement ignore these rumors, the barriers to speaking up only grow, adding to the sense of invincibility that gives abusers a sense of invincibility.
Try R. Kelly. Evidence of the abuse of underage girls first emerged in 1994, when a copy of 15-year-old Aaliyah’s marriage certificate was leaked to the press. The same rumors circulated for years, but they never came to fruition until a video recording showing Kelly and a young girl having sex was leaked in 2002. But when the criminal case, in which he was eventually acquitted, remained, hit the biggest was released and he continued to fill the concert venue.
Public adulation in the face of constant gossip continues the cycle of abuse. In 2017, it was reported that Kelly operated a cult and subjected children to physical and sexual abuse by the parents of the alleged victims. However, nothing happened, even though another victim reported in 2017 that Kelly had abused her as a child and provided evidence to support her account. Law enforcement kept the evidence in a drawer, only to be opened a few years later when the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” was released in 2019.
There is no shortage of blame for a cycle of abuse like Kelly’s – and Combs’ alleged. It includes a group that does the bidding of powerful people for money and close to fame and success. But it’s shown by fans who look the other way and continue to support the wronged by buying their media and merchandise. It’s even worse when fans mercilessly harass victims who speak out against their idols, often calling them gold diggers and prostitutes. The blame goes beyond the media who report too late or not at all, and, most importantly, to law enforcement, who do nothing when women find the courage to speak out.
Calculations – at least in the form of criminal charges – have begun, although convictions remain elusive in many cases. With the advent of the #MeToo movement, the media is looking for accounts of women who have been abused by powerful men, and some women have gained the confidence to speak out because others have reported the same or similar actions of their abusers. Legislation such as New York’s Adult Survivors Act and California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act have empowered victims to file lawsuits against abusers long after the abuse. And federal prosecutors began to rely on the racketeering statute, which allowed them to present a full spectrum of criminal activity spanning decades rather than a single incident.
While the blame is spread out among many, the responsibility to act squarely sits with law enforcement, and can not be only federal law enforcement. Moving forward, when women and men report sexual abuse, all law enforcement agencies must listen carefully and respond carefully and act quickly, as they seem to have done with the latest allegations against Combs.
Elizabeth Geddes co-founded a law firm that represents victims in the pursuit of civil remedies against the powerful. He and his business partner led the investigation and prosecution of R. Kelly, who was convicted of racketeering and related offenses.