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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Legal Team And Their High-Profile Connections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sean "Diddy" Combs has assembled an Avengers-esque legal team to defend him in his sex trafficking case.

Combs, 54, has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

This week, seven more John or Jane Does filed lawsuits against Combs accusing him of drugging them and raping them between 2000 and 2022.

The "Bad Boy For Life" rapper is being held in the Special Housing Unit, removed from the general population, at Brooklyn's notoriously rough Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been denied bail on three different occasions.

His trial date is set for May 5, 2025.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs lawyers
Lawyers for Sean Combs, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, leave U.S. District Court on September 17, 2024 in New York City. Getty Images

 

Representing Combs in court is Marc Agnifilo, of Agnifilo Law Group, as well as other high-profile lawyers with lots of notable experience.

Combs' team of lawyers has represented controversial clients ranging from NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere to Odeh El-Hage, a member of September 11, 2001, mastermind Osama bin Laden's terrorist group.

One attorney, Teny Geragos, is the daughter of famed entertainment lawyer Mark Geragos, who is currently representing Jasveen Sangha, the "Ketamine Queen" in Matthew Perry's overdose death case, as well as Lyle and Erik Menendez in their fight for prison release. He previously represented Combs, Michael Jackson, Chris Brown (in the Rihanna assault case), Kesha, and Winona Ryder.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs lawyers
In this courtroom sketch, Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, left, addresses the judge while Combs, seated second from right, in prison uniform, watches during a hearing in federal court in New York on October 10. Combs' new defense attorney, Anthony Ricco is seated far right. AP Photo

Who is Anthony Ricco?

Anthony Ricco is not part of the Agnifilo Law Group but represented Combs' former Bad Boy rapper G.Dep in a 2012 murder trial.

G.Dep was convicted of second-degree murder that April and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison that May. He was released in April 2024.

"I never met Sean Combs in my life until I met him at the MDC about a month ago. I'm not what they call a rap lawyer. My representation of the G Dep. is just fortuitous," Ricco told Newsweek on Thursday.

Anthony Ricco Diddy
Attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, Anthony Ricco, speaks to the members of media as he exits Manhattan federal court on October 10 in New York. AP Photo

 

Ricco, raised in Harlem like Combs, studied at Adelphi University and Northeastern University School of Law.

"When I came out of law school, I clerked for a very controversial judge here in New York. His name was Bruce McMarion Wright. The police department hated him. They used to call him 'Turn Them Loose Bruce.'"

"The bill reform laws that we have today in New York are really a result of judges like Judge Wright who served as judiciary years ago," Ricco said.

Ricco is no stranger to controversial cases himself, having represented Osama Bin Laden's personal secretary Odeh El-Hage in the World Trade Center Bombing.

He is also an adjunct professor at Fordham University and teaches at a special intensive training program for death penalty lawyers at Santa Clara University.

In an interview with Newsweek, Ricco shared his interpretation of Agnifilo's "can't keep [Combs] off the stand" remark.

"Sean Combs has a right, like all other defenders, to testify on his own behalf. That's a decision that the law says that he gets to make, period full stop."

Anthony Ricco Diddy
In this courtroom sketch, Sean "Diddy" Combs, left, upon entering the courtroom hugs his attorney Anthony Ricco prior to the hearing in Federal court in New York on October 10. AP Photo

 

"The lawyers can have a different view, but there are some rights that every defendant has, and that's the right to testify," he continued. "So if Sean Combs invokes his right to testify, that will happen. It's not that he can't keep him off the stand, it's that the law says that that's a decision that belongs to a defendant. That's not a lawyer's decision, and I think that's what Marc meant by that."

On the media frenzy surrounding Combs' sex trafficking case, Ricco said, "The volume has to be turned down in this case. All of the clowning on the Internet must come to a stop. I mean, because it will destroy the integrity of our judicial process, which says, everybody gets a fair trial."

Who is Marc Agnifilo?

Agnifilo earned his Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Connecticut College in 1986, as listed on his law firm's website. He later obtained his JD from Brooklyn Law School in 1990, where he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for excellence in Trial Advocacy.

He is a member of several Bar Associations, including New York State, New Jersey, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Marc Agnifilo Diddy
Marc Agnifilo, lawyer for rapper and music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, speaks outside federal court after Combs' arraignment hearing on September 17 in New York. Getty Images

 

Before representing Sean Combs, Agnifilo worked on multiple high-profile and controversial cases, such as defending Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, which started as a multi-level marketing company but later became known as a "cult-like" group. Raniere was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering and was sentenced in 2019 to 120 years in prison, along with a $1.75 million fine.

Agnifilo also defended Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs employee convicted in 2022 for his involvement in bribery and corruption related to Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund. According to the LA Times, the prosecutor noted the severe impact on the Malaysian people, calling it "deeply unfair to everyone else who plays by the rules." Agnifilo argued that Ng was a scapegoat, stating, "Roger is essentially the fall guy for this entire situation."

Agnifilo has made several headline-grabbing statements about Combs' innocence in the sex trafficking case.

Last month, Agnifilo shared his doubt about reports that the federal agents seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil from Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes during raids.

Speaking with TMZ about the claim for their documentary The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment, Agnifilo said Combs just "buys in bulk" because he lives near a Costco.

Agnifilo also said that Combs will likely speak during his sex trafficking trial which is set to begin on May 5, 2025.

"I don't know that I could keep him off the stand," Agnifilo said in the doc. "I think he is very eager to tell his story."

"These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide," he added. "He looks forward to clearing his name in court."

Last week, Agnifilo told reporters outside of a New York courthouse that the food is "probably the roughest part" of Combs' life behind bars.

Who is Teny Geragos?

Teny Geragos, the daughter of famed entertainment lawyer Mark Geragos, is a founding partner of the Agnifilo Intrater law firm.

According to her bio on the firm's website, Teny Geragos is particularly experienced in defending and investigating sexual misconduct allegations. She has represented numerous people accused of sexual assault and misconduct, as well as victims of sexual assault.

Teny Geragos
Teny Geragos and Marc Agnifilo arrive at federal court for Combs' bail hearing in New York on September 18, Getty Images

 

She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Criminal Bar Association.

Teny Geragos is also known for her TikToks in which she gives her opinion on legal cases in the entertainment industry, including Combs' sex trafficking case.

"We want to be able to respond to allegations where people are forming opinions," she defended her media strategy to the New York Times in September. "I see where all of the misinformation spreads. I see it happening on people's phones and in short one-minute clips. I don't see the difference here in doing [TikTok] videos versus going on TV."

Newsweek has contacted Teny Geragos for comment.

 

Who is Alexandra A.E. Shapiro?

Alexandra Shapiro is handling Combs' appeal against the court's decision to deny him bail while he awaits trial.

Shapiro, a 1991 Columbia Law School graduate, started her career over 30 years ago as one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's first clerks on the Supreme Court. She has also authored a novel centered around a white-collar crime case.

Shapiro is also representing another of Diddy's fellow inmates at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center—Sam Bankman-Fried, the cryptocurrency fraudster. She is appealing his conviction from earlier this year.

 

Alexandra A.E. Shapiro
Alexandra A.E. Shapiro Shapiro Arato Bach

 

Ricco told Newsweek about Shapiro, "I've known and have worked with her in the past. Alexandra used to be at the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and we used to have cases together. I was a defensive lawyer and she was a prosecutor, so over the years, we've had several cases together."

"Back when she was a prosecutor, I always thought the world of her," he continued. "I always thought that she was extraordinarily bright and had a real sense of justice and fairness about her. I was always very impressed with her, and when I heard that she was involved in this case, I thought that's a really good thing."

Newsweek has contacted Shapiro for comment.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com

Author: Erin Keller

Source: Newsweek:

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