Epstein accuser claims ‘Diddy’ thought he was invincible before sex trafficking probe

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US Attorney gives press conference on Diddy’s sex trafficking charges

Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks to press about Sean "Diddy" Combs’ criminal charges.

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Hip-hop’s “Bad Boy” billionaire Sean “Diddy” Combs has drawn comparisons to late sex-trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein, but one person believes there is a big difference between the two powerful players.

“Jeffrey wasn’t an open secret,” Lisa Phillips, a model who said Epstein sexually assaulted her on his private island, told Fox News Digital.

“Jeffrey was all under the table,” she said. “Only certain people knew about the sex trafficking. He was very smart – he was much smarter than Sean Combs, much more highly intelligent.”

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Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. (Munawar Hosain/Getty Images)

Phillips, now a model scout at Select Models Los Angeles, has a new podcast, “From Now On.” In it, she aims to bring awareness to human trafficking. She will also be speaking out to other survivors in upcoming episodes.

Phillips claimed to Fox News Digital that for years, there were whispers of Combs’ alleged behavior, ones that, she said, were well-known within the music industry.

“When I was a model in the early 2000s, I knew all about abused women with Sean Combs,” Phillips claimed. “We heard about it, people talked about it… I think he just thought he was God and above all. Nothing was going to happen to him.”

Lisa Phillips has a new podcast, “From Now On,” which aims to educate the public about human trafficking. She also details her experience with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died behind bars in 2019. (Brett Erickson)

Phillips noted that Combs and Epstein ran in “very different circles.” However, the modus operandi is still the same, she claimed.

“When you have that type of wealth, power, charm and influence to make things happen for people… a lot of men don’t abuse it, but predators do… It’s vile.”

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Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry. (New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS)

According to Phillips, the ongoing case serves as a warning that human trafficking is an ongoing problem that goes beyond showbiz.

“They take these young girls and pretend like, ‘I’m doing good for you.’ But no, they’re sending them to their friends, associates and other powerful people,” she explained. “The victim thinks, ‘Oh wow – I get to meet so-and-so.’ But no, they’re sending you to be abused, for the sexual gratification of another person. They’re being trafficked. They’re putting you on a plane or sending you an Uber – whatever it is – [but] they’re sending you to somebody else.”

According to a bombshell indictment, Combs, 54, is accused of being the leader of a criminal enterprise. The disgraced media mogul pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

Sean “Diddy” Combs and his defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo stand before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky after prosecutors brought three criminal charges against him in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

Not only was Combs denied a proposed $50 million bail, but he was also remanded and sent to jail immediately after the hearing.

Combs was officially charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.

Combs allegedly distributed “a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant. Sometimes unbeknownst to the victims, Combs kept videos he filmed of victims engaging in sex acts with commercial sex workers.” 

Following the “Freak Offs,” Combs and his victims “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use,” documents stated.

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Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are seen here attending a New York City event in 2005. Maxwell was convicted of helping her ex-lover sexually abuse girls. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Phillips claimed she saw video cameras in Epstein’s house. At the time, Phillips said that, like many of Epstein’s alleged victims, she feared speaking out. It was not until Epstein’s death that Phillips slowly gained the courage to speak out, she said. Phillips said it also would not be until Epstein’s death that she learned there were many others, like her.

“The mentality is, ‘If I’m going down, you’re all going down with me,’” said Phillips on why she believed Epstein had cameras “all around.”

“… I think Jeffrey did it because he had a deeper, huge connection with politicians and very powerful people who were abusing young women. I think Jeffrey did it more so to protect himself.”

“When Jeffrey knew he was going to go down, he knew that was going to protect him,” Phillips reflected. “He wanted to get away with it… In Sean Combs’ case, people are being held accountable, or at least, we’re shedding some light on whom those people are.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Combs’ lawyer and spokesperson for comment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs hosted lavish “White Parties” where he invited the rich, famous and elite. (Bryan Bedder/CP/Getty Images for CP)

In 2019, Epstein was charged with sexually abusing dozens of underage girls. It was a case brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors to dispose of nearly identical allegations.

The 66-year-old hedge fund manager once socialized with some of the world’s most powerful people. However, that year, his life of luxury was reduced to a concrete and steel cage at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center (MDC). The disgraced financier was under psychological observation for a suicide attempt that left his neck bruised and scraped.

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Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019. He was 66. (Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

On Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead.

The Justice Department’s watchdog said that a “combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures” by the federal Bureau of Prisons and workers at the jail enabled Epstein to take his own life. They found no evidence of foul play.

Officials claimed Sean “Diddy” Combs and a number of un-named associates in the Combs Enterprise used intimidation tactics to “lure female victims into Combs’ orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.” (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Combs is being held at the MDC in Brooklyn.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Combs’ spokesperson said, “Mr. Combs is strong, healthy, and focused on his defense. He is committed to fighting this case and has full confidence in both his legal team and the truth.”

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Sean Combs’ son, King Combs, is seen here arriving at United States Court in Manhattan after the music mogul was arrested by federal agents in New York City. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

Combs had previously been placed on routine suicide watch, but on Sunday, sources told Fox News Digital he is “off suicide watch” and has been receiving visits from family members.

Phillips testified in a 2022 civil case involving Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein, USA Today reported. According to the outlet, Phillips also filed as a Jane Doe under the Adult Survivors Act. Separately, she received a settlement in a case involving JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Epstein accusers, the outlet noted.

Today, Phillips hopes her podcast – and story – will shed light on how human trafficking can happen to anyone.

“It isn’t just a white van pulling you up, grabbing a 13-year-old, throwing her in the car and sending her off to Dubai,” she explained. “No – there are powerful people who are taking advantage of your aspirations and ambitions.”

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, among others. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“There are those sending numerous young people to the same person,” she continued. “They’re trafficking you. And I’m so glad it’s coming to light now. We need to understand what’s really going on. There’s a lot of education that needs to happen.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Larry Fink, Michael Ruiz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.