Diddy‘s legal team is set to come up against some stiff competition as the government has beefed up its team in the Bad Boy boss’ upcoming sex trafficking trial.
According to Billboard, Maurene Ryan Comey, a lead prosecutor in the conviction of Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislain Maxwell, will be part of the team prosecuting Diddy.
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Comey is also the daughter of former FBI director James Comey.
Diddy, meanwhile, made two high-powered hirings of his own in October in the form of Alexandra Shapiro (no relation to famed defense attorney Robert Shapiro) and Anthony Ricco, who join his existing lawyer Marc Agnifilo.
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Shapiro is considered one of the country’s leading appellate lawyers, while Ricco has been involved in numerous high-profile cases such as the World Trade Centre bombing.
Comey’s addition to the prosecution comes shortly after Diddy was denied bail for a third time.
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In his ruling last month, Judge Arun Subramanian cited a variety of factors, including the mogul’s violations of prison rules around communications and “misrepresentations” he made to the judge at a recent hearing concerning material recovered during a sweep of his jail cell.
The judge also said that freeing Diddy would present “a serious risk of witness tampering,” pointing to his contact with an escort who prosecutors say participated in multiple “freak-offs.”
Concerns over Diddy’s “propensity for violence” were also raised, with the judge citing his brutal 2016 attack on Cassie that was caught on camera and leaked to the media earlier this year.
The Bad Boy founder had proposed a bail package worth $50 million, using his Miami Beach mansion as collateral and agreeing to house arrest, 24/7 security and no contact with alleged victims or witnesses.
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Diddy’s trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 5 next year, though that date is subject to change.
As well as criminal charges, Puffy has been hit with a growing number of civil lawsuits, the most recent of whichaccuses him of dangling a woman off of a 17th floor balcony.
