Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Two sprawling properties belonging to music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were searched by U.S. law enforcement on Monday.
This may not be the last raid planned by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, according to a legal analyst.
"They'll gather the information, they'll go through all of the evidence that they got from both of these homes," Terri Austin told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. "They may actually have other searches that they want to do."
'They need probable cause'
Officials told The Associated Press that the search was a part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York – although it’s not clear whether Combs was the target of the investigation.
While few details have been made public, Austin says that to conduct the sprawling raids, authorities would have needed to prove "probable cause to do that."
"My estimate is they probably got information from the lawsuits," Austin says. "There are at least four people who have sued him. One of those cases was settled."
In a statement to media at the time, a lawyer for Combs said that the settlement was "in no way an admission of wrongdoing."
Combs himself said in a statement in December about the civil claims, "I did not do any of the awful things being alleged."
According to Austin it's likely that those "multiple" civil lawsuits were probably enough for search warrant.
"They needed to go and search those two homes in Miami and Los Angeles," Austin says, "looking for any information that might lead to some criminal charges."
So far, Combs and his attorneys have not commented on the search, and requests for comment from media have not been returned.
What is sex trafficking?
In addition to the ongoing sex trafficking investigation, Combs, who's among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades, has also been at the centre of several sexual assault lawsuits in recent months.
"Most people think of sex trafficking as bringing in people from other countries," Austin says. "But there is also domestic sex trafficking."
According to Austin, similar allegations were made against R&B singer R. Kelly, and as with that case, authorities will have to prove people were taken "against their will" and then "forced or coerced" into sexual encounters.
"What they're looking for is probably information on computers, any sort of videos and tracking the activities."
Are charges expected?
Aerial video over Combs’ home in L.A. showed multiple armed law enforcement officers walking around the grounds of the property.
Combs hasn't been charged with a crime, something Austin says is not surprising.
"Before they actually bring an indictment against him, they're going to have to get the information to take it before a grand jury," she says.
That's where it will be determined whether there is enough to bring charges against him, and according to Austin, "that's what they're doing now."
With files from The Associated Press
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”