The mother of the embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs released a statement Sunday defending her son against the criminal charges and multiple allegations of sexual misconduct he is currently facing while in federal custody in New York.
Combs, 54, has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since pleading not guilty on Sept. 17 to federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
In a statement released through her lawyers, Janice Smalls Combs says it has been “unbearable” to witness “what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence.”
She then mentions that her son “has made mistakes in his past” and refers to an episode caught on security video that appeared to show Combs attacking singer Cassie, his former girlfriend, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. In May, Combs apologized for the incident, saying his behavior was “inexcusable” and that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.