Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer has declared the music mogul’s innocence and branded the searches of his Los Angeles and Miami properties in a sex-trafficking investigation “a gross use of military-level force”.

The comments were the first public statement from Combs’ team since Monday’s raids by Homeland Security Investigations agents in the investigation being run by federal authorities in New York.

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr Combs’ residences,” lawyer Aaron Dyer said in a statement.

“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

Dyer said Combs was “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name.

The criminal investigation is a major escalation in the scrutiny of Combs, who has been the defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.

In a lawsuit Combs settled the day after it was filed in November, his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape.

The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Combs and his lawyers deny the lawsuits’ allegations.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Cassie did.

It is not clear whether the search is related to any of the allegations raised in the lawsuits.

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.

Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name.

He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious BIG, Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

– AAP