Combs’ lawyer steps down ahead of sex trafficking case
An attorney representing Combs in his sex trafficking case announced in February that he is stepping down as counsel.
Anthony Ricco filed a motion in a New York City court, saying “under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs.”
Ricco, who had been retained by Combs in September, did not give an explanation but said it would not affect Combs’ May 5 federal trial date.
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What do Combs’ lawyers say about the federal charges?
In a statement after the superseding indictment was filed, Combs’ lawyer said his client “vehemently denies the accusations” made by federal prosecutors.
“He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will,” Marc Agnifilo said.
Agnifilo went on to say that many of Combs’ former employees “stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work and inspiration they experienced while helping build groundbreaking, award-winning businesses.”
What does the superseding indictment say?
The superseding indictment, filed March 6 in federal court in New York, contains no new charges. But it describes Combs’ attempts to keep an extreme level of control over his employees, “whom he forced to work long hours with little sleep,” prosecutors say.
Combs made these demands “through the use of, among other things, physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same,” according to the indictment.
In one case, Combs forced an employee to “engage in sex acts” with him, the indictment states.
The indictment accuses Combs of engaging in “acts of violence” when employees or witnesses threatened his “authority or reputation,” including arson, kidnapping, throwing objects at people and — on one occasion — dangling someone over an apartment balcony.
Combs is being held in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is being detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Correctional Center.
He is being housed in the same unit as FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding users of his cryptocurrency exchange.
The facility also houses Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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