Who are Diddy’s lawyers – and will they be able to pull off Amber Heard-style grilling to save him

Once one of the most powerful music moguls in the world, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is now relying on a $10 million team of legal heavyweights to rescue his ruined reputation as his sex trafficking trial rolls on for another six weeks.

The defiant Grammy Award winning rapper is used to commanding a crowd – but he has been sitting silently on the defense benches while eight key attorneys take center stage during the blockbuster case in Manhattan federal court.

His leading lawyers are Marc Agnifilo, 60, a former Manhattan District Attorney who has tried more than 200 cases during his 30-year career, and millennial ‘nepo baby’ defender Teny Geragos, 34, who has been using TikTok to argue Diddy’s case.

Her father Mark Geragos is one of America’s most high-profile defense lawyers, having represented multiple celebrity clients, including Winona Ryder, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown.

Other key attorneys on the defense team include Brian Steel, who secured a reduced sentence for Young Thug in his RICO trial and has a Drake song named after him, and top-rated white-collar crimes attorney Anna Maria Estevao.

Alexandra Shapiro, who represented FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in his conviction appeal, is also on the team, while one of the associates at her firm, Jason Driscoll, is one of the more junior members in Comb’s line of defense.

Nicole Westmoreland, who runs her own firm and is reportedly an outspoken survivor of sexual assault, was a late addition to the team, as was Xavier R. Donaldson, a former Bronx prosecutor with decades of experience in New York litigation.

The daunting team of attorneys are fighting to disprove racketeering conspiracy charges, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

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Diddy’s leading lawyers are Marc Agnifilo, 60, a former Manhattan DA who has tried more than 200 cases during his 30-year career, and millennial ‘nepo baby’ defender Teny Geragos, 34, who has been using TikTok to argue Diddy’s case. (Pictured: Agnifilo and Geragos in New York)

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The first eight days of the trial have centered around claims from Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, 38, who said the Harlem-born producer subjected her to more than a decade of abuse starting in 2007. (Pictured: the former couple the GQ Men of the Year Party at Chateau Marmont on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California)

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Millennial defense attorney Teny Geragos, 34, has been using TikTok to argue Diddy’s case

Prosecutors claim Diddy coerced victims into participating in his infamous drug-fueled ‘Freak Off’ parties using sex and violence. The 55-year-old rapper has denied all accusations, saying all sex acts were consensual.

The first eight days of the trial have centered around claims from Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, 38, who said the Harlem-born producer subjected her to more than a decade of abuse starting in 2007.

Diddy’s team took an unorthodox approach at the start of the trial by describing their client as ‘a jerk’, but vehemently denied that he ever sex trafficked anyone.

‘Sean Combs is a complicated man. But this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money,’ leading lawyer Geragos told the jury of eight men and four women.

‘There has been a tremendous amount of noise around this case over the past year. It is time to cancel that noise.’

Geragos conceded that Combs’ violent outbursts, often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs, might have warranted domestic violence charges, but not sex trafficking and racketeering counts.

She told jurors they might think Combs is a ‘jerk’ and might not condone his ‘kinky sex,’ but ‘he´s not charged with being a jerk.’

She also conceded that Diddy is extremely jealous and ‘has a bad temper,’ telling the jury that he sometimes got angry and lashed out when he drank alcohol or ‘did the wrong drugs.’ But, she said, ‘Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.’

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In one text exchange, Cassie admits that she ‘love[s] our [freak-offs] when we both want it’

Combs’ legal team also deployed an arsenal of salacious text messages from Cassie claiming the R&B singer ‘loved’ Combs’ infamous ‘freak offs.’

Estevao used the messages in an effort to paint Cassie as a willing participant in the drug-fueled sex sessions that could last up to four days.

‘I love our FOs when we both want it,’ Cassie wrote in one missive, adding: ‘I want to Freak Off right now LOL. I want to have fun with you.’

Diddy replied: ‘Let me know if you want to have a late night. Jules is available. If you’re not into that NP. We can just do a thing. Love you.’

Cassie simply replies with a ‘love you’ back. Diddy asks: ‘If you’re not super horny wtf?’ ‘Horny. Of course I am,’ said Cassie.

The heavily-pregnant singer told the court that these messages were ‘just words at that point’ and didn’t indicate a true desire to engage in the debauchery.

Only time will show whether Diddy’s legal team can execute an Amber Heard-style grilling to save him from disgrace.

His leading lawyers Agnifilo and Geragos are founders of Agnifilo Intrater, which represents ‘individuals in complex and sensitive criminal matters’ per its website.

Agnifilo was previously retained to defend French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn after he was accused of sexually assaulting a maid in a case which was later dropped, NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, and Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng.

He is married to high-profile New York City lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who is currently defending Luigi Mangione as he faces the death penalty if convicted for the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The legal power couple have been profiled by the New York Times and CNN, since their cases often overlap or even conflict – as Marc too is playing a supporting role in Mangione’s defense team.

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Prosecutors claim Diddy coerced victims into participating in his infamous drug-fueled ‘Freak Off’ parties using sex and violence. The 55-year-old rapper has denied all accusations

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Pictured: Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland, left, cross examines Dawn Richard, right, during Diddy’s trial in Manhattan federal court on Monday, May 19, 2025

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Pictured: Xavier R. Donaldson, a former Bronx prosecutor with decades of experience in New York litigation, arriving at Manhattan federal court on May 20 as part of Diddy’s legal team

Meanwhile, his firm partner Geragos is ‘particularly experienced in defending and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct,’ according to the company’s website.

She is the daughter of celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, who has defended countless celebrities and this month secured a reduced sentence for killer brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Mark Geragos’ celebrity roster includes Chris Brown during his Rihanna assault case, Kesha, Winona Ryder, Michael Jackson, Susan McDougal, and one of the defendants in the Clintons’ Whitewater scandal in the 1990s.

Diddy lawyer Alexandra Shapiro previously represented FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

His daughter is following in his footsteps during Diddy’s trial – though she’s been using modern methods to defend the rapper.

The Loyola Law School graduate took the legal world by a storm by touting the rapper’s innocence on TikTok last September, and through various appearances on primetime TV.

Geragos, who in interviews has acknowledged that ‘misinformation spreads’ online, used social media to try and discredit Diddy’s accusers and the ‘series of false claims’ she claimed they brought ‘in the hopes of trying to get a payday’.

Alexandra Shapiro brings over 30 years of experience to Diddy’s legal team. She served as the deputy chief of appeals for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan and as an attorney-adviser in the US Department of Justice.

Shapiro has secured a string of legal victories at the Supreme Court, and she also clerked for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a role the judge overseeing Diddy’s case also held at one point.

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Pictured: Attorney Brian Steel arrives for Diddy’s sex trafficking trial at Manhattan Federal Court on May 21, 2025 in New York City. He previously represented rapper Young Thug

Atlanta-based attorney Brian Steel came into the national spotlight when he defended Young Thug during his racketeering case in the longest criminal trial in the history of the state of Georgia.

The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, pleaded guilty to gun, drug and gang charges but was spared a lengthy jail term.

Steel was briefly sent to prison during the trial for contempt of court, for refusing to provide the judge with information about what he learned during a meeting between prosecutors, a witness and the judge himself.

This contempt ruling was later overturned and Steel was released.