Former Bad Boy rapper Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow speaks out following the recent arrest of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
“When I was an 18-year-old, I just wanted to make my mother proud, make Belize proud and… be recognized for my talent and take over the world. I stood up for him and he in turn called witnesses to testify against me. He practically sent me to prison,” Barrow alleged of ‘Diddy’ during a recent press conference in Belize.
Barrow was convicted of first-degree assault for a shooting in New York City in 1999, which left three people injured. Combs was also charged in the shooting, but said during his trial that he fired the gun in self-defense. He was acquitted of all charges. In 2001, Barrow was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 2009 and deported back to Belize.
Barrow, who now serves as Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, said he “forgave” ‘Diddy’ and has “moved on.”
“Let’s not lose sight of what the hard facts are,” he continued. “This is not a person I went on vacation with and enjoyed a great intimate brotherly relationship with. This is a person who destroyed my life, who I forgave, who I moved on with and for the best interest of Belize because he was in a position at the time to provide scholarships and perhaps invest. I wouldn’t deny trying to bring investment to Belize and contributions to education.”
He added, “But do I feel any joy or satisfaction about what he’s going through? Absolutely not.”
‘Diddy’ made headlines in 2023 when he was accused of misconduct after his ex-girlfriend Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) named him in a sexual assault lawsuit, which was settled out of court in a day. Several others have since come forward with similar allegations against Diddy, who has denied every claim.
In March, the Department of Homeland Security conducted raids on two of the producer’s homes. Earlier this week, on Monday, September 16, Diddy was arrested and denied bail twice. He was remanded to remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center until his trial.
A 14-page indictment was released the following day, alleging that ‘Diddy’ “abused, threatened and intimidated women and others around him.”
Following ‘Diddy’s’ arrest on Monday, his attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us Weekly, “We are disappointed in the decision to move forward with what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, a self-made entrepreneur, a loving family man and a proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, doting on his children and working to uplift the Black community.”
Agnifilo added, “He is a flawed person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit, Mr. Combs has been completely cooperative with this investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man who has nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
In a Tuesday, Sept. 17 letter to the judge, Combs’ attorneys called the jail conditions “horrific” and “not fit for pretrial detention,” according to People. The defense suggested that Diddy live at home in Florida with a 24/7 security detail, but Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. said “there is no condition or combination of conditions to ensure that he will not obstruct justice or tamper with witnesses.”
The judge ordered Diddy to remain in jail until his trial for sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy begins.