Diddy's dream team avoided 'disaster' with one key move, OJ Simpson attorney says

Fox News

8 hours ago

Sean "Diddy" Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges Wednesday following a two-month trial where his legal team argued that the case was about "voluntary adult choices," not a "mean" man running a criminal enterprise.
After the verdict was read, people in the courtroom began shouting "dream team" to Diddy's high-profile lawyers, a team headed by Teny Geragos and Marc Agnifilo. Geragos cried as she hugged Diddy's family.
The other lawyers include Brian Steel — who recently represented rapper Young Thug — Anna Estevao, Jason Driscoll, Xavier R. Donaldson and Alexandra Shapiro.
The "dream team" nickname first made headlines in 1995 for the group of defense lawyers who represented OJ Simpson in his eight-month trial for the alleged murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Robert Shapiro, the first member and initial chair of Simpson's defense team, praised Diddy's legal counsel following the verdict.
"The defense team did a terrific job on a case the U.S. Attorney overcharged," Robert Shapiro told Fox News Digital. "An acquittal in Federal Court is highly unusual. Congratulations to Mark and Tenny for building an incredible group of talented lawyers."
WATCH: Diddy's legal team won't stop until he walks a 'free man,' rapper's attorney Marc Agnifilo says
Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Barry Scheck, F. Lee Bailey, Shapiro and Alan Dershowitz comprised the dream team who helped get Simpson acquitted nearly 30 years ago.
Professor emeritus Dershowitz admitted Diddy's dream team made the right decision by not letting the Bad Boy Records founder testify in his federal trial for sex crimes.
"Ultimately, the smart decision was not putting OJ on the witness stand," he told Fox News Digital. "The smart decision here was not putting Combs on the witness stand. The difference is we want a complete victory. They got a partial victory, but an almost complete victory, so I commend them for excellent work."
He added, "I think this was a good day for justice today, and it showed the power of juries to stand up against the federal government. And that's a necessary check on the excesses of prosecutors."
Following the verdict, Dershowitz condemned the court's decision to not grant Diddy bail.
"Vindictive and wrong," Dershowitz said. "He was convicted of transactional, consensual sex with 2 adults."
WATCH: PROFESSOR EMERITUS ALAN DERSHOWITZ DISCUSSES KEY MOVE IN DIDDY TRIAL
Geragos, known just as much for her last name as she is for her work in the courtroom, first earned fans last year with social media clips about her rapper client.
Teny also gained recognition for her opening remarks during Diddy's federal trial, where she argued that the case was about "voluntary adult choices," which the government was attempting to skew into a narrative to fit a sex trafficking charge.
The daughter of criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos graduated from Loyola Law School Los Angeles in 2016. Her father is known for representing several high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, Jussie Smollett, Colin Kaepernick and, most recently, the Menendez brothers in their successful pursuit of resentencing.
She then worked with Brafman & Associates for eight years before becoming a founding partner of Agnifilo Intrater. Geragos serves on the board of directors of the New York Criminal Bar Association and is certified to practice law in New York and California.
During opening statements of Diddy's trial, which began on May 5, Teny asked the jury to consider the federal charges, not the choices of an at-times violent man.
WATCH: Diddy trial was a 'colossal failure by the prosecution,' attorney Mark Geragos says
"Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case," Teny told the court. "This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships. This case is about those real-life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case, a prostitution case and a sex trafficking case. It will not work."
She noted that Diddy "has a bad temper" and at times gets "so angry or so jealous that he is out of control," but she emphasized that the "Victory" rapper was not charged with "being mean."
"He is not charged with being a jerk. He's charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Teny said. "And though there was violence that you are going to hear about, you already have, that violence is not part of any RICO. That violence is not connected to sex trafficking and that violence is not prostitution."
Agnifilo is no stranger to high-profile cases as a criminal defense lawyer based in New York. The former assistant district attorney previously worked for Brafman & Associates for more than 15 years before founding his own firm, Agnifilo Intrater, in 2024.
He's familiar with high-profile trials and district attorney investigations after representing a number of prominent clients, including "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli and NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere.
The Agnifilo household is familiar with high-profile cases, with Marc's wife Karen Friedman Agnifilo leading the defense for alleged health care CEO assassin Luigi Mangione.
The jury found Diddy not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He was found guilty on both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Following the verdict, his defense pushed back after the judge denied the rapper's request for bail.
Agnifilo argued that Diddy has done remarkable things in his life. He is a businessman and a serious person, the attorney noted, adding Diddy has seemingly been a model prisoner in a very difficult situation at MDC Brooklyn. According to Agnifilo, he has no issues on his record.
"Diddy is a man who has lived up to his obligations," the lawyer said. "Jury gave him a chance at life today."
The government said Diddy is very wealthy, brazen, and dangerous. They noted that any chance of jail time is a reason to flee. They accused Diddy of having a short temper, and noted how the rapper has abused people violently.
"It was also brazen for him to have drugs and supplies for prostitution waiting while he was arrested," prosecutors argued. A sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 3.
After the trial concluded, Diddy's team spoke at a press conference, with Agnifilo vowing that they wouldn't stop until he walks a "free man."