A former celebrity bodyguard accused of raping a woman with Sean "Diddy" Combs more than two decades ago claims he is being falsely accused and unfairly linked to the controversial entertainment star who is facing sex trafficking charges.
Joe Sherman, known as Big Joe, said while he doesn't doubt the alleged victim's claim, the part of him is wrong.
"It’s a lie on me," he told NBC New York. "I don’t know this lady from anywhere."
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The woman he referred to is Thalia Graves, who appeared at a highly promoted news conference with attorney Gloria Allred on Sept. 24. That's when her attorney announced a federal lawsuit claiming that in 2001, the then-25-year-old Graves was drugged, bound and viciously raped at the Manhattan headquarters of Bad Boy Entertainment by music mogul and his head of security, Sherman.
"I am not questioning her integrity. I am just questioning her claims against me," Sherman told News 4. "You got the wrong man. I wasn’t even in the same room with you. I have never seen you. I wasn’t even in New York that I recall at the time."
Sherman said he did security for Bad Boy Records in the 1990s, but wasn't working for the company in 2001. The former body guard has a personal album of photos with celebrity clients he said he has protected over the years, and told NBC New York that he would see Diddy at industry parties after he left the company.
However, he notes there was no relationship with Diddy, maintaining that he is being set up by false accusations.
"Her and whoever she’s in cahoots with was orchestrating a money grab. And she wanted me to be part of that money grab...She wanted to get Diddy," he said.
Sherman provided texts from an Instagram account starting in Nov. 2023 that he says his team has linked to Graves; NBC New York confirmed the connection as well. The first text asked if Sherman was indeed a security guard for Combs.
"She says, 'Are you Big Joe?' I said 'You’re on my Instagram,'" Sherman told News 4. He said that when she asked about his name, it showed him "she doesn't know who I am."
The text asked him to call a number and goes on to say: “If you will be my witness against Diddy, then my attorneys will leave you out of any proceedings because we have statements that you physically showed over eight people videos of me and you to people in the studio.”
Sherman responded: “I don’t know what the f*** you talking about [or] know who the f*** you are.”
Sherman was still named in the lawsuit, but said there "never was a video, I never saw this woman.
"I am nothing but a scapegoat for this BS because I wouldn’t lie on Puffy — Sean Combs," he added.
When reached for comment by NBC New York regarding the texts and Sherman's denial he was involved, Allred said in an email "the complaint speaks for itself. Our client looks forward to her day in court."
The lawsuit describes Sherman as being involved in a company that produces and distributes pornography. Sherman said his media outlets publish urban rap magazines that often feature scantily clad women, arguing the photos are similar to ones he’s posted on social media.
"I don't show nude women," he clarified.
"I am single, I am a man, but I never disrespected or seen this woman in my life," Sherman said. "Come on, it's a money grab. She knows what she did to me destroyed my family, destroyed my livelihood — I can’t get a job."
Sherman’s legal team said they were planning their legal strategy, and that there will be a counter claim filed in a matter of days that will likely include defamation allegations.
