Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is having another go at securing bail following his arrest last month on charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering. Papers filed yesterday with the district court in New York where he was twice denied bail last month confirm that Combs will now take the matter to the Second Circuit Appeals Court.
The latest court submission comes as Combs puts together what one source close to the musician has dubbed his “dream legal defence team”. It also follows the filing of yet another civil lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual abuse and the release of a new TMZ programme on the criminal case, in which the musician’s current lawyer says his client is unlikely to accept a plea deal because he wants to show that “a black man can win in federal court”.
Twelve lawsuits have now been filed accusing Combs of sexual assault and harassment. Meanwhile federal prosecutors accuse the musician of “creating a criminal enterprise” in which he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct”. Prosecutors successfully argued that Combs should not be granted bail because he was a flight risk and could seek to intimidate witnesses.
Joining Combs’ legal team as he fights the criminal charges is Alexandra Shapiro of Shapiro Arato Bach LLP, who - Law360 notes - is also currently representing Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as he appeals his fraud conviction and 25 year prison sentence. Combs and Bankman-Fried are currently being detained in the same sleeping area in the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
Also on board for the Combs defence team is Anthony L Ricco who, Law360 says, is “known for taking on federal death penalty cases” and is “presently representing an Atlanta businessman accused of defrauding NBA athletes”.
The lawyer currently speaking for Combs in public is Marc Agnifilo, who is interviewed in a new TMZ show called ‘The Downfall Of Diddy: The Indictment’. Agnifilo is asked if his client might ultimately agree to a plea deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to at least some of the charges in return for a less severe sentence.
“It’s not up to me”, the lawyer replies. “It’s up to Mr Combs and I don't see it happening because he believes he’s innocent. And what's more, he believes that he needs to stand up not just for himself - for his family and for everybody who’s been targeted by the federal government”.
“He feels an obligation”, Agnifilo continues, “to those people to say, ‘You know what, maybe I can break the model. Maybe I can show the world that a black man can win in federal court’. And I think he probably is the only person I know of who might be able to actually accomplish that goal”.
The twelfth civil lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault was filed by an unnamed women with the New York courts last week.
She claims she was repeatedly drugged and raped at Combs’ homes after meeting the musician in 2020. Whereas many of the other lawsuits relate to alleged incidents that took place years or decades ago, this accuser alleges that the assault and harassment continued through to July of this year.