One of Diddy's Lawyers Has Abruptly Left the Music Mogul's Legal Team — Here's Why He Quit

According to the Associated Press, there are six attorneys representing Sean "Diddy" Combs in his sex trafficking case. The music mogul was taken into custody in September 2024 after being indicted by federal authorities in New York. His alleged crimes date back to at least 2008, though multiple accusations have been lodged against Combs since his arrest.

Combs's time behind bars has also been riddled with issues. In November 2024, the Metropolitan Detention Center where he is housed was raided by several law enforcement agencies during a sweep that resulted in confiscation of drugs, weapons, and various paraphernalia. Although Combs was not connected to this, it highlighted the horrific conditions at the facility. A few months after this, one of the former rapper's lawyer's abruptly quit. Why did he leave Combs's legal team? Here's what we know.

In an affidavit obtained by People Magazine, Anthony Ricco wrote: "Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs." Ricco did not elaborate because doing so would violate attorney-client privilege. What he did say was that this decision was made after speaking with the head of Combs's legal team, Marc Agnifilo.

In the motion Ricco filed to withdraw from Combs's defense team, he wrote, "This motion for withdrawal of counsel, if granted, will not result in a delay of the present schedule for the commencement of jury selection and trial, or the present schedules for briefing of pretrial legal issue." He continued, "As a result, there will be no lapse in representation, as Sean Combs will continue to be represented by five other attorneys of record." Ricco could not be reached for comment.

In January 2001, eight months before the Sept. 11 attacks, Ricco "served as a counsel on the World Trade Center bombing conspiracy cases regarding Omar Abdel Rahman and Osama Bin Laden," per the London Evening Standard. Ricco argued that bin Laden shouldn't be prosecuted because he wasn't currently in the United States and therefore couldn't receive a proper defense.

A little over two years later, Ricco defended a man named Uzair Paracha who was suspected of attempting to help a member of al-Qaida return to the United States, reported CBS News. He was initially arrested in March 2003 and was charged three months later. The criminal complaint filed against the 23-year-old alleged that Paracha was trying to help the Al-Qaeda member obtain immigration status. "Having knowledge someone is in Al-Qaeda is not a criminal act," said Ricco.

A jury found Paracha guilty and sentenced him to 30 years, per CUNY Clear. During his trial Paracha's legal team was not permitted to seek testimony from, or cross-examine, individuals imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay as well as the person he was charged with helping. A decade later he requested a new trial based on statements from these people. It remained unanswered until 2018. In February 2019 his lawyers reached a deal where charges against Paracha were dropped if he agreed to leave the United States.