Sean "Diddy" Combs is seeking to strengthen his defense team by bringing on prominent Georgia attorney Brian Steel, known for representing rapper Young Thug in a high-profile RICO case. Legal documents filed by Steel show he seeks permission to practice law in the Southern District of New York to assist Combs at trial, according to TMZ.
The addition of Steel comes as Combs' defense team, led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, undergoes a significant reshuffling. In February, attorney Anthony Ricco departed Combs' team, leaving Agnifilo and Geragos as lead counsel.
Initially, Combs' legal camp reportedly aimed to recruit a Black female attorney to diversify the defense team, given the racial elements already emphasized in their trial strategy. The current lead attorneys, Agnifilo and Geragos, are both white men, prompting Combs to consider expanding representation, TMZ reported.
Earlier this year, Combs' attorneys highlighted race as a core issue in the Mann Act charges, emphasizing its historical origins as the "White-Slave Traffic Act." Combs' legal team described it as "a statute with racist origins, used to target Black men and supposedly protect White women from them." Acting U.S. District Attorney Matthew Podolsky rejected this narrative, stating race played "no role whatsoever" in Combs' prosecution.
Steel's potential addition arrives shortly before jury selection scheduled for May 5, with opening statements slated for May 12. Agnifilo and Geragos have requested the court delay the trial by at least two weeks.
On Monday, Combs pleaded not guilty to two new charges: sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs' defense team asserted in court: "These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships."
Combs has been detained without bail in Brooklyn since his initial arrest in September last year on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The federal court has repeatedly denied requests for his release pending trial.
