Sean (Diddy) Combs was hit with an expanded federal indictment on Friday, charging the hip-hop mogul with five criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking. Combs, 55, previously pleaded not guilty to an earlier three-count indictment.
The new indictment includes additional charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution and could subject Combs to more time in prison if convicted. Both indictments refer to three of Combs’s alleged victims. Combs’s trial remains scheduled for May 5 in Manhattan federal court.
In a court filing, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to arraign Combs on the new indictment on April 25.
In a statement provided by Combs’s media representatives, his lawyers said: “These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.”
Prosecutors said Combs used his business empire to sexually abuse women between 2004 and 2024.
The alleged abuse included having women take part in recorded sexual performances called “freak-offs” with male sex workers, who were sometimes transported across state lines.
Combs’s legal team has forcefully denied he did anything wrong.
Marc Agnifilo, one of Combs’s lawyers, has said Combs never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will, and that the freak-offs were consensual sexual activity.
Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn since September. He also faces dozens of civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual abuse.
New counts
The earlier indictment charged Combs with a single count of transportation to engage in prostitution with three alleged victims. It could have led jurors to acquit on that count if they doubted Combs’s guilt as to any of those victims.
Combs now faces separate counts of transportation to engage in prostitution with regards to two women, referred to as Victim-1 and Victim-2. The new indictment refers to a third woman, Victim-3, as a victim of Combs’s alleged racketeering conspiracy.
Also known during his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with helping turn rappers and R&B singers such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.
But prosecutors have said his success concealed a dark side, citing incidents including in March 2016, when Combs was captured on a surveillance video kicking, dragging and throwing a vase at a woman trying to leave a Los Angeles hotel.
CNN last year broadcast surveillance video showing Combs striking and dragging his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, an R&B singer known as Cassie.
Combs apologized following the broadcast. Agnifilo has said the video was not evidence of sex trafficking, and that Combs and Ventura had “a toxic, loving 11-year relationship.”
Delivery company DHL Express Canada has reached a tentative agreement with its union, paving the way for the company to resume operations.
The deal comes after almost a year of negotiations. Details of the agreement will not be disclosed until after a ratification vote is held, which is expected in the coming days.
DHL Express Canada locked out workers on June 8 and as of last Friday, temporarily halted its operations. The company says it “expects to lift service suspension with immediate effect” once the deal is ratified.
Unifor represents more than 2,100 truck drivers, couriers and warehouse and clerical workers at the company.
The company and its union have sparred over the use of replacement workers as federal legislation banning the practice took effect during the work stoppage.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said she met with both sides last week after DHL asked her last week to intervene in the standoff by compelling work to resume.
Researchers have discovered a new species of ancient fish with hooked front fangs that made them a fearsome and effective predator.
A paper published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology this week says the long, curved jaw of the animal sheds light on how fish were evolving smaller, front teeth that acted like fishing hooks, about 350 million years ago.
Meanwhile, the centimetre-long back fangs were used to chew the catch before digestion into a body that may have been almost a metre long. They hunted for prey in the inland waters of Nova Scotia, in what was likely a vast inland lake.
Lead author Conrad Wilson, a doctoral candidate in paleontology at Carleton University in Ottawa, said in an interview Friday that the fish has been named Sphyragnathus tyche, with the first phrase meaning “hammer jaw.”
“I would say it’s a fairly fearsome looking fish. If its mouth is open, you would see those fangs in the jaw,” he said
But the fossil is also significant for the clues it offers to the evolution of ray-finned fish — a huge and diverse vertebrate group that occupies a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic environments around the globe.
“These fish were the last major group of vertebrates to be identified and we still have big gaps in our knowledge about their early evolution,” Wilson said, who published his paper with Chris Mansky, a fossil researcher at the Blue Beach Fossil Museum in Hantsport, N.S., and Jason Anderson, a professor of anatomy in the veterinary faculty at the University of Calgary.
“The fossils are telling us about what the fish existing right after a mass extinction looked like,” said Wilson, referring to the transition from the Devonian to the Carboniferous periods.
Wilson said paleontologists have wondered how ray-finned fish recovered from the extinction period as other groups of fish, such as the heavily armed category referred to as placoderms, were disappearing.
“The beach where this fossil was discovered tells us … this is a group of animals that is doing well, pretty quickly, after a mass extinction,” he said.
Chris Mansky is a fossil researcher at the Blue Beach Fossil Museum in Hantsport, N.S. (Aly Thomson/CBC)
The paper theorizes that the feeding methods of the evolving teeth may have played a role, creating an evolutionary advantage for the species.
Wilson noted “that particular feature of the curved and pointy fang at the front and processing fangs at the back became a feature of many species in times to come.”
The area where the fossil was found — at Blue Beach on the Minas Basin, about 90 kilometres north of Halifax — was believed to be part of a vast freshwater lake not far from the ocean.
The research team’s paper credits Sonja Wood, former director of the Blue Beach Fossil Museum, for finding the fossilized jaw by urging Mansky to check along a creek that flowed onto the beach.
Wood, who died last year, was in a wheelchair and had urged her colleague to search the area.
“She had a good feeling about what could be found … and she said he should go and have a look,” said Wilson.
In this 2016 file photo, Sonja Wood holds a horseshoe crab fossil that was named after her at the Blue Beach Fossil Museum. (Craig Paisley/CBC)
“He went down and sure enough it [the jaw fossil] was sitting right there,” he said, adding that Mansky managed to recover the fossil before a storm rolled through that night.
Wilson said more discoveries are possible as examination of the fossils from the Blue Beach area continues.
“We have lots of different anatomies that simply haven’t been described yet. And we’ll be working on that in a paper that’s coming up in a few months,” he said.
Some of Donald Trump’s friends in Washington suddenly sound nervous about him having the keys to the economy. A few are even talking about wrenching them away.
There are a few nascent efforts to pare back the U.S. president’s legal power to set tariffs, now being used in an unprecedented manner.
Those efforts are a longshot. What’s most significant isn’t whether they will happen, at least not yet. What’s most significant is what they reveal.
And what they reveal is nervousness among Trump allies — on Capitol Hill, which apparently was as stunned by the scope of his tariffs as Wall Street was.
Take Ted Cruz. The Texas senator says he’s fine if Trump is doing this as a negotiating ploy. But he’s worried Trump might actually be serious about keeping tariffs in place forever.
If these tariffs on allies remain for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days — still damaging the economy — that’s a terrible outcome, Cruz says. And he fears this might actually be the plan.
WATCH | Trump’s math doesn’t add up:
The bizarre way Trump’s team calculated reciprocal tariffs
3 months ago
Duration 25:38
The White House released the formula used to calculate Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs. Andrew Chang explains why the math doesn’t add up. Then, Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ about potentially running for a third term in office — can he do it?
He made a surprisingly stark prediction about what this would mean in next year’s midterm elections, if the tariffs cause a recession.
“In all likelihood, politically, it would be a bloodbath,” Cruz said on his podcast Friday. “You would face a Democrat House, and you might even face a Democrat Senate.”
Wall Street did not expect Trump to follow through, Cruz said, a point underscored by the eye-popping 10 per cent drop in the S&P 500 index this week.
The Republican also pushed back on the idea that these tariffs will only hurt foreigners, or foreign companies. He said a major American car company told him it now expects to increase the average price of a vehicle by $4,500 by this summer.
To his point, it’s not clear what Trump’s goal is. The White House is sending mixed messages.
On the one hand, the official line is that these tariffs are mostly permanent, and that they’ll help raise tax revenue. Yet Trump is also talking about negotiating with Canada. On Friday he suggested he might do the same with Vietnam, after it offered to eliminate its tariffs.
WATCH | Markets keep dropping:
Markets suffer biggest losses since 2020 amid mixed tariff messages from White House
3 months ago
Duration 11:36
Stock markets around the world dropped for a second day after U.S. President Donald Trump’s worldwide tariffs were announced, and White House officials offered conflicting takes on whether the tariffs were a negotiation tactic.
Cruz isn’t alone in his consternation.
A couple of Republicans told CNN they’re hoping for evidence — quickly — that this is just a negotiating ploy.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said: “Right now, I’ll give [Trump] the benefit of the doubt, but I’m concerned.”
One of them, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is facing a tough re-election fight, said farmers in his state are one crop away from bankruptcy: “They don’t have time.”
Baby steps in Congress
So what are these senators doing about it?
After all, the U.S. Constitution gives the Congress power over tariffs. But since the Second World War it’s allowed the president to impose them in an emergency.
Now, a number of lawmakers are talking about setting limits. The effort is mostly led by Democrats, but there’s evidence some Republicans want to help.
Sen. Ted Cruz attends the confirmation hearing of FBI director Kash Patel, in Washington, on Jan. 30. Cruz says ongoing tariffs could cost Republicans their control of the House and Senate. (Ben Curtis/The Associated Press)
It began with the four who voted to revoke Trump’s tariffs on Canada; that measure passed the Senate this week, but appears doomed in the House.
There’s an effort nevertheless in the House to force a vote on the measure. Democrats have begun a complicated process to push the issue to the floor.
In addition, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, third in line to presidential succession, is co-sponsoring his own bill. Chuck Grassley’s measure would require congressional approval for tariffs, or they would expire in 60 days.
It’s worth noting, again, that these measures are, to put it mildly, longshots. Even if, by some political miracle, they got through both chambers of Congress, it’s virtually inconceivable that they would receive enough votes to withstand a Trump veto.
It’s the context that’s telling.
Democrats smell a political winner
There was no doubt which party, on Friday afternoon, believed it had the upper hand on this issue. Democrats are now hungry to talk tariffs.
They have been flailing desperately since last year’s election for a message to focus on, now that they’re in opposition.
The party’s top figures held their second news conference of the week on this topic on Capitol Hill on Friday, announcing efforts to tack an anti-tariff measure onto a budget bill working through the Senate.
Speaking of Trump’s tariffs, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said they are: “one of the dumbest decisions he’s ever made as president — and that is saying a lot.”
Promoting his party’s line, Schumer described the tariffs as a class issue: a de facto tax on the middle class, to generate revenues used for tax cuts on billionaires.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico said Republicans had better never talk about economic responsibility again. “Because they’re about to throw it out the door,” he said.
And on a day that the stock market was melting down, and U.S. relationships were in shambles, and the world was talking about retaliating, here’s another telling sign.
The story barely rated a mention anywhere on the Fox News website Friday afternoon, and only occasionally came up on its TV network. It wasn’t hard to tell who saw this issue as a political winner Friday. And who didn’t.
Canadians are being drained of their life savings by scammers — and many are shocked when their banks refuse to reimburse them.
Bank fraud is a significant concern in Canada, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Every week, Go Public hears from people whose accounts have been emptied by fraudsters using everything from phishing emails and fake banking apps to phone spoofing, hacked passwords and unauthorized e-transfers.
All too often, investigations by financial institutions end not with accountability, but with banks blaming the very customers who trusted them with protecting their money.
Got a story you want investigated? Contact Erica and the Go Public team gopublic@cbc.ca
“It’s very disappointing,” said Claudiu Popa, a cybersecurity expert who’s spent decades investigating cybercrime and educating the public.
“Banks appear to be protecting themselves and their own reputations, rather than trying to remedy a situation.”
Popa says he’s seen firsthand how criminals exploit everyday habits and security gaps. To help, he’s sharing five tips that can reduce your risk of becoming the next victim of bank fraud.
WATCH | How to respond if you’ve been defrauded and your bank’s blaming you:
Hit by fraud, but the bank’s blaming you? How to protect yourself
1 month ago
Duration 5:42
CBC News reporting reveals that banks are increasingly blaming customers for falling victim to fraud and errors involving their accounts. The National’s Erica Johnson asks cybersecurity expert Claudiu Popa to break down the current risks and what Canadians need to know to protect their money.
1. Use strong, unique passwords
The first tip is the most basic: change your password regularly — every three months is recommended — and make it unique.
According to password manager NordPass, the most common password used in Canada and dozens of other countries in 2025 is “123456.” The second most common password? “123456789.”
Popa says we should stop thinking of passwords as short codes, and instead think of them as memorable passphrases.
“Choose your favourite line from a movie or poem or whatever, and sprinkle in some personal punctuation,” he suggested. Something like, H@staLaV1staBaby!
Make sure it’s 15-20 characters, and never reuse passwords across different websites. Reused passwords are one of the most common ways criminals can gain access after a data breach.
He also recommends using a password manager to store passphrases, so you can just copy and paste them, instead of typing them out.
“Viruses latch onto the keyboard and track the keys you’re typing, which it can’t do if you’re pasting it directly.”
Even the strongest password isn’t enough if a hacker gains access through a data breach or phishing scam — which is why Popa says two-factor authentication (2FA) is so important.
It adds a second layer of security, typically through a code sent to your device or generated by an authentication app.
“It needs to be a separate platform, so that’s why you should always try to have a different device that you’re getting your second factor on,” said Popa.
None of Canada’s big five banks allow users to set up two-factor authentication for all transactions. (CBC)
He advises against using SMS text messages for 2FA when possible. Instead, opt for a secure authentication app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator.
Also turn on every available account notification — for logins, password changes and transactions.
“Time is of the essence when you get defrauded,” said Popa. “The sooner you find out, the more likely it is that your banking institution will work with you, rather than protect themselves against you.”
Go Public asked the big five banks — BMO, CIBC, RBC, TD and Scotiabank — if they allow customers to set up two-factor authentication. All said they give users the option to get codes via text message, which the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says are vulnerable to being intercepted.
All the banks also offer a more secure option — push notifications sent through their mobile apps. But only TD offers an authenticator app, which Popa says should be standard in the industry.
Popa also thinks customers should have the option to set up two-factor authentication for all purchases where a physical card is not used — not just when they log in to their online banking.
Currently, none of Canada’s big five banks offer that. The banks do allow customers to set up alerts for every transaction, so they can know right away if there’s a fraudulent charge.
3. Guard personal information
Bank fraud doesn’t always involve hacking. Scammers often trick people into handing over information themselves.
Popa says social engineering scams, phishing emails and phone scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
One common tactic people have written to Go Public about is call spoofing.
Fraudsters often manipulate caller ID, a process known as ‘spoofing,’ to make it look like someone from your bank is calling you. (L.J. Cake/CBC)
Fraudsters make it appear as though they’re calling from your bank, then ask you to confirm details like your login credentials or account number to “prevent fraud.”
They might also ask you to share a “one-time passcode” sent to your phone.
“Many of these scammers intentionally make these calls at dinnertime because you’re busy doing something else, because your bank branch might be closed, because it happens to be a weekend,” said Popa. “They know exactly how to play with your emotions and your instincts.“
Never share your passwords, PIN, one-time passcodes, or banking information with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, either by phone, text or email.
Popa advises calling your bank directly using the number on their official website or your bank card. And don’t click links in unsolicited messages claiming to be from your bank, he warns. Many lead to fake websites designed to steal your credentials.
4. Avoid public wi-fi for banking
Checking your account while at a café might seem harmless — but public wi-fi is one of the riskiest ways to access financial information, Popa warns.
Hackers can use “man-in-the-middle” attacks to intercept your connection, steal your login credentials, or even install malware.
Instead of relying on wi-fi, use your cellphone data plan, which is more secure or connect through a trusted VPN (Virtual Private Network), which encrypts and protects your information.
WATCH | Do banks do enough to compensate customers who are victims of fraud?
Why few bank fraud complaints lead to compensation
1 year ago
Duration 1:12
Sarah Bradley, the ombudsman and CEO at Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, responds to a report that found only a quarter of banking complaints resulted in monetary compensation in 2023.
5. Be careful with banking apps
Banking apps are convenient — but they can also pose risks, especially if downloaded from unofficial sources or used on devices with other background apps.
Many cybersecurity experts Go Public has spoken to — including Popa — decline to bank on their phone.
Cybersecurity expert Claudiu Popa urges people to never use public wi-fi for banking. (Shutterstock / Yulia Grigoryeva)
“Many apps can run spyware or malware without your knowledge,” Popa said. “They can take screenshots, track your activity or steal your credentials.”
Popa’s advice if you do use mobile banking: only download apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
“Those are the only app stores that should ever be trusted with any apps at all,” he said.
Better yet? Consider using your bank’s website on a secure browser at home.
Bonus tips
Also consider implementing these additional safety measures:
Monitor accounts regularly. Check your bank statements and transaction history frequently to catch suspicious activity early.
Shred financial documents. Don’t toss bank statements, cheques or credit card offers without shredding them first.
Secure devices. Install antivirus software, enable automatic updates and use screen locks on all devices that access your financial accounts.
A preventable crime
Bank fraud can feel overwhelming — but it isn’t inevitable. Popa says small changes in how you manage accounts and devices can make you a far less attractive target.
“You can’t control what banks do,” he said. “But you can control how easy it is to scam you.”
Submit your story ideas
Go Public is an investigative news segment on CBC-TV, radio and the web.
We tell your stories, shed light on wrongdoing and hold the powers that be accountable.
If you have a story in the public interest, or if you’re an insider with information, contact gopublic@cbc.ca with your name, contact information and a brief summary. All emails are confidential until you decide to Go Public.
