“This is a money grab” — Diddy’s ex-bodyguard Joseph Sherman denies accusations of drugging and s*xually assaulting Thalia Graves

Joseph Sherman, Sean "Diddy" Combs' former bodyguard, recently responded to Thalia Graves' allegations that the pair s*xually assaulted her in 2001. As per USA Today, on September 24, 2024, Graves sued Sherman and Combs at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that the two viciously r*ped her in the Bad Boys Record studio and recorded the act without her consent.

Disclaimer: The following article talks about s*xual assault, physical assault, and graphic r*pe which might be triggering for some. Readers' discretion is advised.

The suit also stated that Sherman and Combs shared the video of the alleged attack as p*rnography. Sherman issued a statement to The Daily Mail denying the accusations, saying he'd never met Thalia Graves. He also claimed that the lawsuit was a "money grab," saying:

"I know for a fact that this is a money grab. I've never seen this lady. Don't have any tape of her like she says I have. I’ve never seen her. I never did anything with her. I don't know, none of this. I don't even know this lady."

In her lawsuit, Thalia Graves claimed that Diddy and Joseph Sherman invited her to the studio, saying they wanted to talk to her about her boyfriend's performance, who had been working for the rapper then. She alleged that the two men offered her a drink which had been laced with a drug, rendering her unconscious. When she woke up, she was allegedly "bound and restrained."

Graves, who had been 25 at the time, claimed Diddy "mercilessly r*ped her." She added that Joseph Sherman slammed her onto a table and "repeatedly thrust his pen*s into her mouth."

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Joseph Sherman denied attending Diddy's "freak offs"

Joseph Sherman, aka Big Joe, said the lawsuit filed by Thalia Graves was a "shake down," claiming he was being used as a scapegoat because he was a black man. He added that since Diddy's arrest, those in his close circle were now looked at as "automatically guilty."

"This lady, with the help of others, is only doing this because Sean Combs is incarcerated, just like so many other people. I'm a father. I have four daughters. I have been crucified before by the government," Sherman said.

"I understand the power of the government. I understand proof is irrelevant when you're a black man in America. But because I'm a black man, they're using me as a pawn and a scapegoat for issues that I had nothing to do with whatsoever," Joseph Sherman added.

Joseph Sherman maintained his innocence, saying he was ready to take a lie detector test to prove he was not guilty. He added that he had been an "honorable bodyguard" to over 30 celebrities.

Sherman also said he never attended Diddy's alleged "freak offs", saying the only party he ever attended was in 1999 in the Hamptons, where everyone was nice and classy.

According to Diddy's indictment, "freak offs" were described as elaborate s*x acts that Diddy allegedly orchestrated by forcing and drugging women to have s*x with male escorts. The acts were often allegedly filmed without the victims' consent.

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Joseph Sherman said Thalia Graves contacted him

In his statement to The Daily Mail, Joseph Sherman added that Thalia Graves had been trying to get in touch with him on Instagram for over five months before she filed the lawsuit.

In her filing, Graves claimed that she was unaware that the video of her alleged r*pe was being passed around till November 2023, adding the video was shown to "multiple men" to "publicly degrade and humiliate" her.

She said she reached out to Joseph Sherman to convince him to destroy the video, but he never responded. In the lawsuit Graves had claimed that she suffered from "severe depression, anxiety, and panic attacks" since the alleged r*pe in 2001. She also experienced su*cide ideation after her attack and underwent "extensive psychological treatment."

In her lawsuit, Graves requested a trial by jury, seeking compensation and punitive damages. She also asked that a court order be issued for Combs and Sherman to delete and destroy all copies of the alleged video.

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For those unaware, Diddy's legal troubles started in November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura sued him for r*pe and decadelong abuse. The suit was settled out of court, with Diddy denying the accusation. However, a CCTV video from 2016 that showed the rapper physically assaulting Ventura was released in May 2024.

On September 16, 2024, Diddy was arrested on charges of "racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution." After being denied bail twice, he was placed at the Metropolitan Detention Center. His next hearing is scheduled for October 9.