Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer quits sex trafficking case: “Under no circumstances can I continue”
A lawyer working on Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs’ legal case has stepped down. The artist is missing an attorney after Anthony Ricco filed a motion to withdraw on February 20th, adding another twist to the case in which Combs is charged with racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation for purposes of prostitution.
Ricco was one of six lawyers on the Bad Boy boss’ defence team but has decided to quit without a reason.
In the Manhattan federal court filing, Ricco said, “Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs. It is respectfully but regrettably requested that the court grant the relief requested.”
A judge has yet to sign off on the motion, meaning it won’t be official until it’s decided there’s sufficient reason for Ricco to step down. The decision came following a conversation with Combs’ lead counsel, Marc Agnifilo.
Despite offering no details, Ricco claimed that his standing down wouldn’t delay the trial, which is set to begin on May 5th, 2025. Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, who are still working with Combs, have remained his lead counsel since his homes were by the Department of Homeland Security in September.
The news comes after Combs filed a motion to dismiss his transportation to engage in prostitution charge, which is Count Three in the superseding indictment against him. The Mann Act, which was previously called the White-Slave Traffic Act, was passed in 1910 to stop the transportation of women for prostitution and human trafficking.
Citing “racist origins,” the filing read, “This case is unprecedented in many ways, but perhaps most notably, and most disturbingly, no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution.”
Combs is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He has pled not guilty to the charges against him and has been denied bail three times. With each allegation Combs has faced, his legal team has issued similar statements proclaiming his innocence.
“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process,” one of their statements read. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”