Jodeci's DeVanté Swing Accused of Assisting Diddy in Alleged Sexual Assault of 16-Year-Old Girl
DeVanté Swing, a member of Jodeci, has been accused of not intervening when Diddy allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl.
Earlier this year, Diddy and singer Aaron Hall were sued by Liza Gardner for allegedly raping her in 1990, and Swing has now been added to the case as a co-defendant.
Gardner claims that Swing, who was in his early 20s at the time and is now 55, was present during the alleged assault. According to an updated lawsuit obtained by 'Rolling Stone,' a witness previously stated that Swing was seen leaning against a wall or piece of furniture, watching what Diddy was allegedly doing to Gardner but did not stop it.
It is further alleged that Swing played the role of Gardner's "co-guardian" on the trip to New York, where the assault is said to have happened. The lawsuit claims that he was responsible for her well-being, as her parents had trusted him with her safety. Instead, it is alleged that he coerced Gardner to cross state lines from North Carolina to New York and New Jersey, where she was given alcohol and marijuana and allegedly trafficked to Diddy.
Swing has not yet publicly addressed the allegations or his addition to the lawsuit.
Gardner was one of the first individuals to come forward with rape accusations against Diddy after his ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault. In Gardner's original complaint, she stated that Diddy and Aaron Hall both raped her and a friend after they met at MCA Records in New York.
The lawsuit details how Gardner remembers feeling the effects of alcohol during the assault and how Diddy allegedly forced himself on her. She also claims that Diddy became physically abusive in the days following the incident.
Diddy has denied all accusations through his representatives, calling them "fabricated claims" that falsely accuse him of misconduct from more than 30 years ago.
His team argues that these allegations are simply an attempt to extort money.
