Diddy defense preview? His lawyer defended ‘sex cult’ leader in eerily similar case
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NEW YORK ― A charismatic man coerced women into sex and silence. His inner circle transported victims, reaping financial rewards. Sleep deprivation abounded.
Those are all allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose sex-trafficking trial heads to opening statements on Monday, May 12. But they are also similar to the charges in a 2019 sex-trafficking trial against self-help guru Keith Raniere, the so-called NXIVM “sex cult” leader. And the similarities could offer an early window into Combs’ defense.
After all, the two men went to trial with the same lawyer: Marc Agnifilo.
As a federal prosecutor in the 2000s, Agnifilo helped expand the government’s use of a 1970 law designed to take down the mafia, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or “RICO.” Agnifilo helped broaden the use of RICO to also tackle street gangs.
However, as a defense lawyer Agnifilo argued that using that law against Raniere was a bridge too far.
The law is now being used against Combs to allege he ran a criminal enterprise that involved kidnapping, forced labor, and sex trafficking.
Agnifilo, who lost Raniere’s case, didn’t respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on how he will be approaching Combs’ defense and whether his strategy will mirror that defense. But Season 2 of HBO’s “The Vow,” in which Agnifilo let a documentary team follow him through the trial, offers clues to what the defense could look like.
The prominent New York defense lawyer is also representing accused UnitedHealthcare CEO-killer Luigi Mangione along with his wife, Karen Agnifilo, who is leading that defense team. Marc Agnifilo also represented former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli and ex-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in high-profile cases.
Content retrieved from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/05/09/diddy-trial-sean-combs-defense-lawyer-strategy/83086723007/.
