The team of federal prosecutors going after Sean “Diddy” Combs in his upcoming sex trafficking trial is made up of all white women. The lead prosecutor is Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. Maurene went to Harvard Law School and has handled big cases before, including helping to convict Ghislaine Maxwell, who worked with Jeffrey Epstein.
Other members of the prosecution team include Emily Anne Johnson, Madison Reddick Smyser, Mary Christine Slavik, Meredith Foster, and Mitzi Steiner. They all work for the Southern District of New York, one of the top offices in the country for federal cases. Jury selection starts next week, and opening statements are set for May 12.
Diddy’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said race will be a major part of their defense. He claims this is an unfair attack on a successful Black man. The defense is expected to point out that the government chose an all-white group of women to try the case, and they may argue that this shows bias.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all five charges. These include two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transporting women for sex, and one count of racketeering. He also turned down a deal from the government that might have helped him avoid a long prison sentence. The trial is expected to last about two months, and one of the witnesses will be his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, who accused him of abuse.
