Opinion: How is the indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs different?

Earlier this week, Sean Combs, better known as “Diddy,” was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of extortion and sex traffickingCombs, like all of the defendants, is presumed innocent, but the charges are devastating. In addition to the abuses Combs allegedly committed personally, the indictment alleges he relied on a network of employees and other close associates to facilitate and conceal his abuses. The group allegedly thrived on demanding absolute loyalty and promoting Combs’ power, reputation and brand.

While the accusations are damning, they aren’t particularly surprising. After all, the rumors have been circulating for a long time. Combs’ Potentially Criminal Conduct. And he is not alone. The rich and famous have been repeatedly accused of abusing their victims in public, and have often relied on others to perpetrate and cover up the abuse, sometimes for decades. Bill Cosby. R. Kelly. Harvey Weinstein. Their power has gone unchecked. Their popularity has gone unscathed.

In Combs’ case, law enforcement responded quickly after the allegations surfaced. In March Homeland Security agents searched his residences in L.A. and Miami in an investigation that led to this week’s indictment. Quick law enforcement intervention may be the only real way to stop the abuses.

Without this, the cycle can become self-perpetuating. Perpetrators of violence use their power and networks to prevent victims from speaking out, either through explicit threats or indirectly by exploiting the natural fear of their influence. As the public and law enforcement ignore rumors, the barriers to speaking out only grow, deepening the sense of invincibility that emboldens perpetrators of violence.

Consider R. Kelly. Evidence of his abuse of underage girls first emerged in 1994, when a copy of his marriage certificate to then-15-year-old Aaliyah was leaked to the press. Similar rumors circulated for years, but he faced no consequences until a video leaked in 2002 showed Kelly having sex with an apparently underage girl. But while his criminal case, in which he was ultimately acquitted, continued, his biggest hits were released and he continued to fill concert halls.

Public adulation in the face of persistent rumors deepened the cycle of abuse. By 2017, parents of alleged victims were reporting that Kelly was running a cult and subjecting children to physical and sexual abuse. Still, nothing happened, even when another victim came forward in 2017 that Kelly had abused her as a minor and provided a mountain of evidence to corroborate her story. Law enforcement kept the evidence in a drawer, only to unearth it years later when the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” was released in 2019.

There’s no shortage of blame for cycles of abuse like Kelly’s — and Combs’, allegedly. It includes the circle that does the bidding of powerful men for money and proximity to fame and success. But it’s also shared by fans who look the other way and continue to support alleged abusers by buying their media and merchandise. It’s worse when those fans relentlessly harass victims who speak out against their idols, often calling them gold diggers and whores. The blame extends to media outlets that report too late or not at all and, most importantly, law enforcement that does little or nothing when women find the courage to speak out.

There has been a reckoning—at least in the form of criminal charges—though convictions remain elusive in many cases. With the emergence of the #MeToo movement, media outlets have begun to seek out accounts of women who were abused by powerful men, and some women have been empowered when others report the same or similar behavior by their abusers. Legislation like the Adult Survivors Act in New York and the Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act in California have empowered victims to file lawsuits against their abusers long after the abuse has occurred. And federal prosecutors have begun to rely on the extortion statute, which allows them to present the full scope of criminal behavior over decades, rather than isolated incidents.

While blame is shared, the responsibility to act rests squarely with law enforcement, and it cannot be federal law enforcement alone. Moving forward, when women and men report sexual abuse, all law enforcement agencies must listen carefully, respond thoughtfully, and act swiftly, as they clearly did with the recent allegations against Combs.

Elizabeth Geddes co-founded a law firm that represents victims in their pursuit of civil remedies against powerful men. She and her business partner led the investigation and prosecution of R. Kelly, who was convicted of extortion and related offenses.