Diddy's lawyer slams searches, claims were "gross use of military-level force”

Three-time Grammy winner Sean Combs commonly known as Puff Daddy is under scrutiny in a sex-trafficking investigation.

On Tuesday, his lawyer slammed an "excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by " Homeland Security Investigations agents during the searches of Combs' Los Angeles and Miami properties on Monday.

The criminal investigation is a major development. Combs has been the defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.

In one suit settled the day after it was filed in November, R&B singer Cassie, Sean's former girlfriend, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.

Another of Combs’ accusers was a music producer who said he coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them

It is not clear whether the search is related to any of the allegations raised in the lawsuits.

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He built one of hip-hop’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his name.

His lawyer insists Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name".