Sean “Diddy” Combs seemingly had the dream team of defense attorneys line up to help him fight the federal sex crime charges he’s about to go to trial on. However, one of the bigwigs he’s hired has swiftly withdrawn from his counsel and left a cryptic message requesting to do so.
Back on Monday, Sept. 30, Combs filed a third request appealing his detention order to remain in jail as he awaits federal prosecution on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Among those new court documents, legal giants Anthony Ricco and Alexandra Shapiro agreed to join Combs’ legal team.
However, in a letter filed Thursday, Ricco requested to withdraw from Combs’ legal team.
“On September 22, 2024, I was retained by the defendant, Sean Combs, to serve as his counsel, and I have served as his counsel since that time. Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs, consistent with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice,” Ricco wrote in his motion to withdraw.
Ricco wrote he was aware his request would have to be supported “only upon a showing by affidavit or otherwise of satisfactory reasons for withdrawal.” However, he argued there are “sufficient reasons” that would cause him to seek relief from the case but said reasons were undisclosed due to attorney/client privilege.
That’s one down but Combs still has other attorneys to lean on to help him prove his innocence. Including Ricco, here’s what we know about them:
Who’s Anthony Ricco?
Ricco is known for leading the defense in up to 45 federal death penalty cases including People v. Corey Arthur, where Arthur was charged in the murder of the son of former Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin, according to Ricco’s profile in Fordham University’s School of Law.
Ricco was able to get the death penalty off the table and litigate Arthur’s term to life in prison. He also represented the undercover NYPD officer acquitted in the killing of 23-year-old Sean Bell in 2006.
On a larger scale, Ricco served on the counsel in the World Trade Bombing conspiracy case and Embassy Bombing case in 1998, his profile reads. He graduated from the Northeastern University School of Law and has been privately practicing since 1982.
Who’s Alexandra Shapiro?
Shapiro is an appellate attorney who signed off on Combs’ appeal of the denial of his bond release, court documents show. Labeled “one of the nation’s leading appellate lawyers,” her work is recognized in the reversals of both criminal and civil cases, according to the Shapiro Arato Bach website.
After graduating from Columbia University School of Law in 1991, she began working as a clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before moving onto white collar defense. Most notably, she landed two Supreme Court victories narrowing the scope of federal fraud laws in order to reverse the wire fraud convictions of Louis Ciminelli and former Andrew Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco.
Shapiro also argued the Salman v. United States case, which was the first “insider trading case” heard by the Supreme Court in 20 years.
She is also representing Combs’ cellmate, Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of fraud in November 2023. She also authored the novel “Presumed Guilty.”
Combs’ lead attorney, former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Marc Agnifilo, previously stated his client is “concentrating on his defense and preparing for trial,” per a statement. The rapper pleaded not guilty and is due for court again October 9.