Nationwide — Sean “Diddy” Combs will quickly face a high-profile federal trial on intercourse trafficking and racketeering expenses, and main the prosecution is a workforce of six white feminine attorneys — a reality Diddy’s protection workforce says is just not a coincidence. TMZ studies that the prosecution is spearheaded by Maurene Comey, a seasoned Assistant U.S. Lawyer and daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, whose controversial tenure and dismissal by Donald Trump in 2017 made nationwide headlines. Jury choice begins subsequent week within the Southern District of New York, one of the crucial highly effective and high-profile prosecutorial workplaces within the nation.Maurene Comey, a graduate of Harvard Legislation Faculty, isn’t any stranger to main intercourse crime circumstances. She performed a key position within the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime affiliate, on intercourse trafficking and conspiracy expenses. Identified for her meticulous preparation and trial acumen, Comey’s involvement indicators the federal government’s intent to current a tricky and well-coordinated case in opposition to the music mogul.
Becoming a member of Comey on the prosecution workforce are 5 different girls with sturdy credentials. Emily Anne Johnson, a trial legal professional with experience in organized crime, has led complicated investigations into human trafficking and narcotics conspiracies. Madison Reddick Smyser, who beforehand clerked for a federal decide, has dealt with high-stakes white-collar and intercourse crime circumstances. Mary Christine Slavik is understood for her work on public corruption and interstate felony enterprise circumstances, whereas Meredith Foster focuses on digital forensics and crimes involving digital proof. Mitzi Steiner, essentially the most junior of the group, has shortly gained a repute for her tenacity and sharp courtroom presence.
The composition of the prosecution workforce has already been famous by Diddy’s authorized counsel, Marc Agnifilo, who suggests the all-white, all-female workforce displays an intentional technique. He claims this case is a part of a broader “takedown of a profitable Black man” and suggests racial dynamics can be central to the protection’s arguments. The prosecution, nonetheless, could also be relying on feminine jurors figuring out with the alleged victims, a lot of whom are girls of colour.
Diddy has pleaded not responsible to all 5 federal expenses: two counts of intercourse trafficking, two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution, and one depend of racketeering. He has rejected a plea deal reportedly supplied by federal prosecutors, opting as a substitute to combat the costs at trial. The end result might have main implications not only for Diddy’s legacy, however for the way high-profile sexual misconduct circumstances are prosecuted shifting ahead.