In court documents, federal prosecutors said that Mr Combs had “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
Prosecutors accuse Mr Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members – under his direction – engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson and bribery.
“On numerous occasions”, the documents said, Mr Combs assaulted women by “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them”.
The indictment did not specify how many women were alleged victims. It also does not accuse Mr Combs himself of engaging directly in unwanted sexual acts with women.
Mr Combs, founder of Bad Boy records, has faced many of the accusations before.
Last November, his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against him that included graphic descriptions of violent abuse. He denied the accusations, but settled the case a day after it was filed.
In May, Mr Combs released a public apology after video footage from a Los Angeles hotel appeared to show him beating Ms Ventura in a hallway.
Tuesday’s indictment against Mr Combs accuses him of similar violence.
Ms Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment on Mr Combs’s arrest.
According to court documents, Mr Combs “wielded the power” of his status to “lure female victims… to engage in extended sex acts” called “Freak Offs”.
“During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant,” the indictment said.
In a press briefing after the indictment was unsealed, US prosecutor Damian Williams said officials found firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr Combs’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles, about six months ago.
Mr Williams said federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers, and a drum magazine.
He told reporters that further charges were not off the table, but he did not offer specific details.
The indictment follows a string of sexual assault allegations against Mr Combs, one of the most successful music moguls in the history of rap.
Four women, including Ms Ventura, have filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.
In a statement issued last December, Mr Combs defended himself against what he described as “sickening allegations” made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.
His reputation has taken a hit, however.
In June, Mr Combs returned a ceremonial “Key to the City of New York”, given to him by Mayor Eric Adams just nine months beforehand.
Days later, Howard University announced it was revoking Mr Combs’s 2014 honorary degree.
