HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said he can prove the explosive allegations in a civil lawsuit tying him to disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs are false.
HNN Investigates obtained bank statements and receipts after a records request to the Maui Police Department.
The statements showed Pelletier’s credit card was used multiple times in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 23, 2018.
The complaint said there was a gang rape on that day in Orinda, California.
Orinda is about 560 miles away from Las Vegas, about an eight-hour drive.
“I have never visited the city of Orinda,” said Pelletier in a statement.
He also said he never visited Contra Costa County, where the lawsuit said he impersonated a sheriff’s deputy to cover up for the alleged sex assault.
Pelletier said, “I can unequivocally account for my whereabouts on that date, with documented proof confirming I was in Las Vegas.”
The bank statements showed transactions at a Las Vegas Starbucks, an ATM, and In-N-Out Burger.
There is also a receipt from 24 Hour Fitness included in the records request that said Pelletier’s credit card was used at the gym’s sales desk at 10:18 a.m.
His signature or initials are also on the document.
According to the civil lawsuit filed by Ashley Parham, and Jane and John Doe, Pelletier is one of 10 defendants and the lawsuit said he was part of Combs’ security team.
The filing included a picture of a man standing behind Combs on the field at the Super Bowl in Minnesota on Feb. 4, 2018.
“I have never been to Minnesota nor attended a Super Bowl. At that time, I was also in Las Vegas, as verified by documented evidence,” Pelletier said in the statement, which included another bank statement from that date too.
The transactions were in Las Vegas were at a gas station, convenience store, and pizza place.
John McCarthy, a retired deputy chief for the Honolulu Police Department, said bank statements or receipts are strong evidence in a case and are “pretty damning to the allegations.”
Retired FBI agent Tom Simon agreed. “If the chief can establish that he was not in fact there at the time through documentary evidence such as receipts, it sounds like someone may owe the chief a big apology,” he said.
Earlier this week, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen called on Pelletier to take administrative leave and he encouraged the police commission to take action.
To that Pelletier said, “I am deeply disappointed by the rush to judgment and the calls for me to be placed on leave within hours of a baseless civil accusation—one for which I have yet to be formally served.”
The county responded, “Mayor Bissen’s letter to the Police Commission follows established precedent for any County Director facing serious allegations. It is crucial to the continued trust of the community served and leadership within any department.”
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