(B) Former Bad Boy Rapper Shyne Barrow Breaks Silence After Diddy’s Arrest: He ‘Destroyed My Life’
Barrow was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2001 after he was involved in a New York City club shooting with the music mogul
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Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, a politician and former Bad Boy rapper, is speaking out about Sean “Diddy” Combs after his arrest in New York City on Sept. 16.
In a recent press conference held in his native Belize, Barrow, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, shared his thoughts on Combs’ recent arrest and accused the music mogul of having “destroyed” his life.
“When I was an 18-year-old kid, just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and be recognized for my talent and take over the world. I was defending him and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me. He pretty much sent me to prison,” Barrow alleged, without providing details to back up his charges.
“Let’s not lose sight of what the cold hard facts are. This is not someone who I vacationed with and someone who I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood. This is someone who destroyed my life, and who I forgave, and who I moved on, and for the better interest of Belize because he was in the position at that time to give scholarships and maybe to invest,” he continued. “I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and bring the contributions to education.”
Barrow, who was once Combs’ protégé, was also asked if he ever participated in Combs’ “freak-offs.” He said he did not.
In 1999, Barrow was convicted of first-degree assault for a shooting inside a New York City nightclub that left three people injured. Combs was also accused of shooting but during his trial he said he fired the gun in self-defense and was acquitted of all charges.
“Under no circumstances whatsoever did I have anything to do with a shooting,” Combs said in a press conference at the time. “I do not own a gun nor did I have possession of a gun that night.”
Barrow was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2001. He was released in 2009 and subsequently deported back to Belize.
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At the time of Shyne’s sentencing, Combs said in a statement, “Shyne’s sentence is unfair and extreme, as I know he had no intention of hurting anyone. My prayers are with him and his family. I’m shocked by today’s outcome. I will continue to support Shyne throughout his appeal.”
Combs was arrested for sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution at the Park Hyatt in Manhattan on Monday, Sept. 16, according to a federal indictment.
The following day, his indictment was unsealed and it outlined disturbing allegations against him, including the alleged “freak offs” which he would reportedly force victims to participate in.
The rapper allegedly used drugs to coerce and intimidate women to join the “freak-offs” and they were sometimes allegedly captured on camera without the victims’ knowledge.
When Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in March, more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil were recovered among the “freak off supplies.”
During his arraignment hearing on Sept. 17, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said that Combs is in “treatment and therapy for things that most respectfully he needs treatment and therapy for and he’s getting that.”
Combs pleaded not guilty during his court date and his attorneys proposed a $50 million bail package that would’ve included a $50,000 bond for him. However, he was denied bail and taken into custody as he awaits trial.
Prosecutors also alleged that Combs had what appeared to be drugs in his hotel room when he was arrested.