New York: Two properties belonging to rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were searched on Monday by federal Homeland Security Investigations agents and other law enforcement as part of an ongoing sex-trafficking investigation, two law enforcement officials have told The Associated Press.

The officials said the searches were connected to a sex-trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York. It’s not clear whether Combs was the target of the investigation. The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

In a statement, Homeland Security Investigations said it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”

A representative for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Who is Diddy?

Diddy, 54, is an American rapper, producer and record executive. Born as Sean Combs, he rose to fame in the 1990s under the alias Puff Daddy. He has since become one of the most influential hip-hop producers in history, going by many names, including P. Diddy and Puffy. In 2017 he announced his new preferred monikers: “Love” or “Brother Love”.

Combs is best known for hits like Victory, Show Me Your Soul and the Grammy-award winning I’ll Be Missing You, which he co-produced with Faith Evans and R&B group 112 as a tribute to Evans’ late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. after his murder in 1997. He collaborated with a wide range of top-tier musicians, including Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Ginuwine, and Christina Aguilera.

Over his career, he has been credited with establishing an entertainment empire, largely propelled by his record label Bad Boy Records, which he founded in 1993. The label has signed major artists, including Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls), as well as Boyz n da Hood, Mary J. Blige and Machine Gun Kelly.