One of the rapper’s attorneys has officially requested to withdraw from his legal team just months ahead of the trial.
Warning: This article discusses rape, which some readers may find upsetting.
Diddy’s lawyer has resigned with less than three months to go before the disgraced rapper’s trial begins.
Anthony Ricco has chosen to part ways with Diddy’s legal team—real name Sean Combs—making the announcement in a surprising statement.
In a motion filed yesterday (February 20) to withdraw as counsel for the 55-year-old, the document stated: “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.”
It continued: “For the reasons set forth below, this motion for withdrawal is filed so that Sean Combs may move forward with his defense and to commence jury selection and trial without any delay.”
Explaining his decision, Ricco noted that after discussing the matter with Combs’ lead attorney, Mark Agnifilo, they mutually agreed that he should step down.
He added: “While I am aware that the Local Rule requires that an application for withdrawal of counsel is supported and granted ‘only upon a showing by affidavit or otherwise of satisfactory reasons for withdrawal,’ there are sufficient reasons (related to the protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege) for brevity in my application for withdrawal as counsel in this case.”
“Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, I can no longer effectively serve as his counsel in accordance with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice.”
He continued, “This motion for withdrawal of counsel, if granted, will not delay the current schedule for jury selection and trial, nor will it impact the timeline for briefing pre-trial legal matters. As a result, there will be no lapse in representation, as Sean Combs will continue to be represented by five other attorneys of record.”
The development follows Diddy’s indictment by a grand jury after his arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan last September.
Combs faces charges of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion—allegations he has consistently denied.
The indictment alleges that Combs and others within his organization “wield[ed] the power and prestige of Combs’ role at the Combs Business to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs’ orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.”
According to the document, Combs, “with the assistance of members and associates,” allegedly “transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally” and “then used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, ‘freak offs.'”
Combs remains in jail as he awaits trial, which is scheduled to begin on May 5.
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues mentioned in this article, support is available. You can reach The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7, or chat online at online.rainn.org.