What is a 'freak off' as cited in Diddy's case?

Rapper P Diddy has been accused of establishing "a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice".

Diddy, real name Sean Combs, was taken into custody last week after pleading not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He was denied a $50 million bail.

The case filed in New York comes after a year in which the musician has faced lawsuits from a number of women.

The claims against Diddy allege he "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."

Diddy at Cannes Film Festival in 2012 Getty Images

He is also accused of orchestrating "freak offs," according to prosecutors who described Diddy as being the head of a criminal enterprise that abused women and used threats to force them into orgies with male sex workers. He allegedly "arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded".

The freak offs were described as "elaborate and produced sex performances," in which Diddy allegedly booked hotel suites and hired sex workers while distributing drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and oxycodone to keep partygoers "obedient".

Diddy's staff allegedly arranged travel and supplies of intravenous fluids for recovery, sometimes lasting days.

It was also alleged by prosecutors that Diddy recorded the freak offs, and the footage was used to pressure his victims into remaining silent.

Diddy's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Diddy was innocent and called the freak offs consensual.

"Is it sex trafficking?" he asked. "Not if everybody wants to be there."

In a November 2023 civil lawsuit from singer Casandra Ventura (famously known as Cassie), she claimed Diddy "set the groundwork" for a "manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship".

Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie at the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7 2018Getty Images

She referred to the "freak offs" in her claims, saying she was given drugs that "allowed her to disassociate during these horrific encounters". She claimed she was be told to have sex with multiple male prostitutes, as Diddy watched and masturbated, took pictures, and recorded them.

Diddy denied the allegations, and the case was settled for an undisclosed amount the day after it was filed in New York.

Despite Diddy pleading not guilty to the charges on 17 September 2024, he was denied bail after prosecutors argued he posed "a significant risk" to the trial, adding he had "already tried to obstruct the government's investigation of this case, repeatedly contacting victims and witnesses and feeding them false narratives of events".

"My concern is that this is a crime that happens behind closed doors," the judge said.

Diddy's lawyers appealed the decision with suggestions of having him placed under 24/7 watch by a private security team.

However, the judge pushed back and claimed that under those terms, Diddy could still potentially use employees to contact witnesses.

Diddy will be detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center until trial.

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