Judge Greg Mathis didn’t hold back when addressing Diddy and the mogul’s alleged street credibility, saying the Hip-Hop executive’s tough-guy image never held weight with real gangsters.
“Street guys don’t fear him because they know he’s never been in the street. He was a kid, went to Catholic school, and then he was bullied. He tried to join up with some little gang in New York, I think Harlem, that weren’t even engaging in crime,” Judge Mathis said.
Diddy is currently facing a wide-ranging federal investigation that includes accusations of racketeering, sex trafficking, and kidnapping.
Prosecutors allege he led a criminal network that enabled years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The charges also include arson, drug offenses, bribery and obstruction of justice.
Mathis, a former Detroit street hustler turned television judge, said Diddy’s reputation in the music industry was built more on fear and association than actual street credibility.
Diddy’s father, Melvin Earl Combs, was a known figure in Harlem’s drug scene and had ties to the infamous kingpin Frank Lucas. In 1972, Melvin was shot and killed in his car on Central Park West. He was 33.
“His father, who was killed, was a big gangster in New York. And from my understanding, his mother, you know, she wasn’t nothing to play with. And she was associated with his friends from the past. Like, I’m associated with my friend gangsters from the past,” Judge Mathis explained.
Though rumors swirled that he was an informant, no one was ever charged with the murder. Diddy was just a toddler at the time.
“There was a sense of fear in New York that the folks that were close to his, there was one in particular who was close to his dad, and everybody feared. Everybody feared in the nation. And so some say that that’s why he felt such the liberty of being a tough guy,” Judge Mathis said.
Diddy’s former partner Cassie Ventura accused him of rape, physical abuse and sexual slavery during their 10-year relationship. Another woman, Mia, said Diddy raped her, threw ice on her head, and chased her out of his home while she was menstruating.
Other disturbing claims include firebombing Kid Cudi’s car, breaking into his home, and locking his dog in a bathroom. Witnesses also described being forced into humiliating sex acts known as “freak-offs.”
Mathis, who turned his life around after serving time as a teen and later became one of television’s most respected legal voices, has long used his platform to speak on justice and redemption.
His syndicated show Judge Mathis ran for over two decades and earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Judge Mathis is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the BOMESI Summit this weekend (June 6-9).
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