A New Jersey man is facing allegations not entirely unlike those brought against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including that he hosted “after-hours” parties where minors “engaged in commercial sex acts,” officials said.
Keshawn Harley was charged with sex trafficking of a minor, as well as production and possession of child pornography, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Authorities said he started hosting illicit late-night events involving young victims in different houses across the city of Paterson starting in May 2022.
An investigation into Harley’s parties turned up an image on his cellphone of “news article regarding these victims being missing minors and numerous communications indicating that Harley was arranging for one of the minor victims to engage in commercial sex work,” federal prosecutors said.
Harley’s phone also allegedly contained video of a “minor victim engaging in sex acts with” him. He was ordered held without bail during an initial court appearance.
If he is convicted of sex trafficking of a minor, Harley faces a minimum of 10 years behind bars and a maximum in life in prison as well as a fine of up to $250,000. The production of child pornography charge, meanwhile, comes with a maximum of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine while a count of possession carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In nearby New York, Diddy is standing trial on five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. At the heart of the allegations against the 55-year-old rapper are his “freak-off” parties, which allegedly involved degrading and physically abusive acts that were often recorded without consent. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all allegations against him.
