Fact Check: Is Diddy's mugshot from his recent arrest real? Viral photo explained

A viral photo claiming to be Sean "Diddy" Combs' mugshot following his September 16 arrest has been making waves on social media. The picture was circulated by various accounts on social media platforms like Threads and Instagram following the rapper's arrest in Manhattan on federal charges of "sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution."

However, this claim was debunked by USA Today. While the mugshot was real, it was not from Diddy's recent arrest. The image was taken during his arrest for firearm possession in 1999. The authorities have yet to release the mugshot from his recent arrest.

In December 1999, Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were at a club in Times Square with his bodyguard Anthony Wolf and his protege Shyne. An alleged altercation between Combs and another patron led to gunfire, which left three people injured.

Jones, Combs, and Lopez fled the scene in a car and were chased by the police, who found a stolen firearm in the vehicle. Combs, Jones, and Shyne faced charges of gun possession. While the former two were acquitted after a trial in 2001, the latter was found guilty of five charges and sentenced to prison.

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Diddy's other alleged mugshot went viral in March

Previously, another image claiming to be Diddy's mugshot circulated on social media following Homeland Security raiding the rapper's LA and Miami mansions on March 25. On March 27, Instagram user @riiahworld uploaded two images, one showing Diddy allegedly being escorted by the police and the other claiming to be his mugshot.

However, Newsweek fact-checked these images, saying they were either edited or AI-generated. There were many discrepancies when the images were compared to other photos of Diddy.

The photos posted by @riiahworld were tagged with #definitelyai, lending credibility to the theory that they were AI-rendered. The rapper was also not arrested when his houses were raided, which makes the picture of him being led away by cops improbable.

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Diddy's arrest video was made public

On September 20, TMZ exclusively released a video that showed Diddy's arrest. The video, reportedly taken via CCTV cameras from the Park Hyatt Hotel, showed a man dressed in a long black coat, presumed to be Diddy, handcuffed and led outside the hotel by a group of agents.

Combs reportedly stayed at the hotel since his arrival in New York. Marc Agnifilo, Combs' attorney, said that his client flew in from Florida to New York on September 5 to surrender, but the prosecutors refused to accept his offer.

"The most important thing … is that Mr. Combs came to New York on September 5. As soon as we realized that this indictment was going to be coming down in a matter of weeks, maybe months, but sometime soon, Mr. Combs got on a plane, left his home in Florida, flew to New York," he said in an interview with CNN.

He added that he knew his client could receive formal charges since the raids on March 25. Authorities recovered guns, drugs, and 1000 bottles of baby oil during the raid. They also found proof of incidents called "freak offs."

The indictment described these "freak offs" as elaborate s*x acts that Combs allegedly orchestrated and filmed. During the acts, he allegedly coerced and drugged women to have s*x with s*x workers. The "freak offs" sometimes went on for days, allegedly leaving the victims so exhausted they had to use IV fluids to recover.

During his arraignment hearing on September 17, Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied the rapper's bail proposal containing a $50 million bond on account of him being a flight risk and posing as a threat to victims and witnesses.

"I don't believe that counsel has the ability to control you, given the very significant concerns I have, particularly because of substance abuse and what seem like anger issues," said Judge Tarnofsky.

Agnifilo appealed the no-bail order the following day, which was denied a second time.

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Sean Combs pled not guilty to the three charges and is awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The rapper is reportedly under suicide watch, with insider sources claiming that he may be refusing to eat for fear of being poisoned. His next hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2024.