SEAN “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer has sensationally quit the music mogul’s legal team plunging the rapper into a new crisis.
Anthony Ricco issued a mysterious statement saying he “cannot continue”.
Ricco issued a surprise motion to withdraw from counsel on Friday in New York.
The lawyer’s message to the court included a cryptic message hinting at why he dropped Diddy.
His motion said: “Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs.”
Ricco added: “There are sufficient reasons (related to the protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege) for brevity in my application for withdrawal as counsel in this case”.
The lawyer also said his decision to leave would allow the music mogul to move forward with the case and start his trial without delay.
Diddy is due to start his trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in May.
The rapper denies all the allegations against him.
Ricco also said he spoke with the disgraced rapper’s lead counsel, Mark Agnifilo, before filing the motion.
Combs, 55, is currently locked up in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial.
The famed rapper is accused of abusing several women and leading Bad Boy Records as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade.
He has pleaded not guilty to these charges but could face life in prison if he is convicted on all counts.
Several people have filed indictments against the rapper.
Diddy was previously charged with subjecting “Victim-1” to sex trafficking, who is believed to be his former girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie.
Federal prosecutors then added “Victim-2” and “Victims-3” to his bombshell case.
Lead counsel Marc Agnifilo claimed the shocking update was “flawed”.
He said: “The latest Indictment contains no new offenses. The prosecution’s theory remains flawed.”
SICK ORDERS
Diddy was also hit with a lawsuit from his former assistant Phillip Pines.
Pines claimed the rapper once ordered him to have sex with a girl to prove his loyalty to the “king”.
Diddy’s downfall
BEFORE Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest in September, it was highly speculated that the rap star would find himself in custody after he was repeatedly hit with disturbing accusations – and had two of his mansions raided by the feds.His mounting legal troubles finally came to a head on September 17, when he was charged with three federal counts, including sex trafficking, for allegedly forcing victims to take part in drug-fueled sex parties he called “Freak Offs.”Hours before his arrest, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the feds investigating Combs were secretly liaising with Tupac Shakur murder prosecutors on gangland activities.The development also came after Combs was named 77 times in documents submitted by prosecutors in the Tupac murder case.Aside from the Tupac probe, Combs was already facing a slew of lawsuits, including one he settled with his ex, Cassie Ventura, after she accused him of rape and abuse.Disturbing hotel surveillance video from 2016 showed Combs chasing Cassie down and then punching, kicking, and beating her in a hallway.Two months earlier, in March 2024, two of Combs’ mansions were raided by federal investigators, who seized three AR-15s, drugs, and 1,000 bottles of lube which were part of his “Freak Off” supplies.In addition to his federal criminal charges, Combs also faces a handful of lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and sex trafficking dating back to the early 1990s.Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed one suit in February 2024, claiming Combs forced him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts while he worked on his latest album.Combs has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the federal sex trafficking charges against him, but his battle is far from over.He faces life in prison if he’s convicted on all counts.
The ex-assistant claimed he was made to do this a one of Diddy’s notorious “Freak Off” parties
He made these claims in a gut-wrenching documentary titled “The Fall of Diddy”.
Pines accused the disgraced music icon of sexual battery, sexual harassment and other claims in a lawsuit.
PRISON WOES
The rapper has reportedly faced several issues while locked up.
Diddy was reportedly rushed to hospital at around 10pm on February 1.
Doctors completed an MRI scan on Combs after he complained his “knee was bothering him”, a source said.
Combs has had a long history of knee issues in the past which started after he ran the New York marathon.
After routine tests at the hospital, he was reportedly transported back to jail and marched to his cell.
Diddy allegedly also appeared astonishingly thinner and grey at a recent court hearing after four months in federal custody.
He is also thought to have had a Christmas meltdown in jail as he couldn’t believe he was still behind bars over the festive period.