Homeland Security's Raid of Diddy's House Has Some Wondering Why That Would Ever Happen

Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault and rape.

Two homes owned by hip-hop mogul Diddy have been raided by federal agents according to reports. Following the news of these raids, many naturally wanted to better understand why federal agents might raid a person's home, and in particular why those agents would be coming from the Department of Homeland Security.

Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, is facing a wave of allegations and potential charges. Here's what we know about why Homeland Security raided his home, and why they conduct raids more generally.

Homeland Security is the department of the federal government responsible for security inside the country, and it concerns itself with threats like terrorism and human trafficking. It could conduct raids for any reason related to these areas of work, as long as it was properly within their jurisdiction. The agents who conducted the raid on Comb's properties did not specify their reasons for being there, however.

The agents said that they “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”

It's unclear whether Combs was present for either of the raids, but if the federal government is involved, it's because they suspect him or those around him of committing crimes that crossed state lines.

According to a source familiar with the matter who spoke with NBC News, the searches are connected to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.

Although the exact crimes are unclear, the nature of the raid makes the charges that Combs is facing seem fairly serious.

This is not the only run-in that Combs has had with the law in recent months. He reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging rape brought by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November, and he has continued to deny all allegations against him.

He was then hit with four more lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault -- three from women, and one from a man. The suits allege that Combs committed violent attacks and also created and distributed revenge porn.

Douglas Wigdor, an attorney who is representing Ventura and another unnamed plaintiff in the lawsuits, said they were encouraged by the raids.

“We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct," the lawyer said.

For now, many of the details around the raids and what the fallout might be remain unclear. Given the seriousness of the raids, though, and the highly public way they were conducted, it seems likely that more details will continue to emerge in this case. With them, we may learn more about exactly what Combs is accused of, and why Homeland Security went to the trouble of raiding his properties.