The legal proceedings involving Sean “Diddy” Combs have garnered significant attention, not only due to the nature of the allegations but also the composition of the prosecution team. Reports state that the New York federal prosecution team assigned to Diddy’s trial is an all-woman, all-white team. Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, reportedly leads this team.
According to TMZ, Maurene led jury selection and is expected to be the leading prosecutor throughout the trial. You may recall that her father, James, was investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 election, in which Donald Trump was elected to his first term. However, he was fired shortly into Trump’s term as the investigation was ongoing. Trump’s decision was considered controversial as it was seemingly a way to hide his involvement in any wrongdoing related to the election.
TMZ also reports that Maurene is a Harvard Law graduate and was a participant in the convictions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislain Maxwell. The prosecution team also includes Emily Anne Johnson, Madison Reddick Smyser, Mary Christine Slavik, Meredith Foster, and Mitzi Steiner.
As for Diddy’s legal team, they have experienced some ups and downs, as BOSSIP previously reported the departure of Anthony Ricco from the team. However, Brian Steel, who was Young Thug’s lawyer, was added to Diddy’s trial team shortly before the trial’s start. The defense, led by Marc Agnifilo, is reportedly planning to pull the “race card” during the trial, with “takedown of a successful Black man” as their angle.
Judge Allows 2016 Cassie Video As Evidence To Show At Diddy’s Trial
Though Combs’ legal team fought vigorously against it, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled to allow jurors to view a video showing Combs assaulting Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. The video, which surfaced in May 2024, shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching, shoving, and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction. Shortly after the video was released, the father of seven posted an Instagram video apologizing for his behavior, stating he was “truly sorry” and that his actions were “inexcusable.” He claimed the brutal incident made him “disgusted then” and he remains “disgusted now.” However, he later deleted the video from his page.
ABC News reports that Combs’ legal team argued against the video’s admission, claiming it was “deceptive” and “not in accordance with the actions that took place,” alleging that portions were sped up or taken out of order. Nevertheless, Judge Subramanian determined that the video’s relevance to the case outweighed any potential prejudice against Combs. Prosecutors consider the video “critical to the case,” and it is alleged that the assault occurred during a “freak off,” a term prosecutors use to describe Diddy’s elaborate, drug-fueled sex parties that involved sex workers.
These new developments come after Combs’ legal team asked for the trial to be delayed by two months. As previously reported, his attorneys claimed that the prosecution was slow in turning over evidence for discovery. As a result, they haven’t had enough time to comb through the evidence. The judge did not rule in their favor, pointing out that Combs has hired four law firms, and between those law firms, there are enough people to get through the evidence.
Despite a request to delay it, Diddy’s trial is set to begin May 5, 2025.
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