At this point, we know Sean “Diddy” Combs isn’t going down on federal charges without a fight. Now, he’s hired some new legal bigwigs to form a “dream defense team” to fight his case.
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, it appears legal giants Anthony Ricco and Alexandra Shapiro have agreed to join Combs’ legal team. 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.