Everything To Know About Diddy's Defence Lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected to end soon, with closing arguments being presented by both sides over the next two days. The music mogul faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty. However, if he is found guilty he faces a life sentence.
The task of defending Diddy against the numerous, serious criminal allegations is not an easy one. He therefore enlisted the help of leading appellate lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, who is a partner and co-founder at Shapiro Arato Bach LLP.
Alexandra Shapiro is one of the leading criminal defence lawyers in the United States. She was one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's first clerks on the Supreme Court, served as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, and later founded a litigation firm that handles many high-profile cases.
She is also an author and her novel, Presumed Guilty: A Novel, was published in March 2022.
Shapiro is a born and bred New Yorker and currently lives there with her husband, who is also a criminal defence lawyer, and their three children.
Throughout Diddy's trial, Shapiro has been campaigning for his acquittal, filing several motions for the trial to be dismissed. She says the prosecution failed to show evidence that Diddy tried to bribe anyone regarding the 2016 CCTV footage of him violently beating up his then-girlfriend Cassie, which was leaked last May.
Shapiro said there was no police involvement at the time and no charges were pressed. She also argued that Diddy never threatened 'Mia', an anonymous ex-employee and alleged victim, after she told the court he sexually assaulted her several times.
The lawyer also argued that all Diddy's former employees that testified in court and described harmful and gruelling working conditions, such as Daniel Phillip, Capricorn Clark or 'Mia', could have left the job.
On 25 June, she also filed a motion for acquittal to Judge Arun Subramanian, saying the racketeering charges should be thrown out. 'There is insufficient proof to establish a single RICO charge in the indictment' and no evidence of a criminal "enterprise" has been shown.
'They say bodyguards and high-ranking employees but they fail to prove any individual actually conspired with him,' she says. Shapiro argued that staff carried out errands and made travel arrangements but were not involved in anything that went on with Diddy and his partners in their 'freak offs'.
Shapiro has covered several high-profile cases throughout her career. As well as defending Diddy, she is also representing cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. In March 2024, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $11 billion in forfeiture for his orchestration of multiple fraudulent schemes. In September last year, Shapiro wrote to the appeals court asking them to overturn his conviction.
Diddy and Bankman-Fried are currently cellmates.
Shapiro has also won several high profile appellate reversals in criminal and civil cases. This includes two Supreme Court decisions narrowing the scope of the federal fraud statutes, Ciminelli v United States and Percoco v United States, as well as multiple Second Circuit rulings granting judgements of acquittal and new trials.
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NBC News
37 minutes ago
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Prosecutor details Diddy's alleged criminal ‘kingdom' in closing arguments
This is a free article for Diddy on Trial newsletter subscribers. to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout Sean Combs' federal trial. Today, U.S. government prosecutor Christy Slavik delivered closing arguments to the jury. Slavik, who addressed jurors for nearly five hours, painted a scathing portrait of Diddy, casting the defendant as 'the leader of a criminal enterprise' who did 'not take no for an answer' and 'used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted.' 'It was his kingdom,' Slavik said. 'Everyone was there to serve him.' In painstaking detail, Slavik walked the 12-person panel through the federal government's three charges against Diddy. She asserted that the evidence, when tied together, showed beyond a reasonable doubt that the music mogul was guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The center of the government's case: drug-fueled 'freak offs.' Slavik detailed how Diddy relied on his inner circle to force ex-girlfriends Cassie Ventura and ' Jane ' into participating in marathon sexual encounters with male escorts. She argued that Diddy's employees carried out an array of crimes to 'make him happy,' including kidnapping, arson and bribery. 'He was able to get away with it due to his money, power and influence, and that stops now,' Slavik said in closing. 'It is time to hold him accountable. It is time for justice. It is time to find him guilty.' 🔎 The view from inside By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Katherine Koretski and Jing Feng We felt nervous energy coursing through the packed courtroom this morning as Diddy's family members took their seats and Slavik prepared to deliver her closing argument. Diddy, wearing light pants and a white sweater, entered a short time later. He looked at his family and put his hand to his heart. At one point, Diddy's twin daughters passed a note to defense attorney Teny Geragos. She handed it to Diddy, who smiled. In the second hour of Slavik's summation, Diddy started to take on a noticeably more downcast appearance. He sat back in his chair with his head down while Slavik detailed the government's sex trafficking charges, looking completely dejected — even defeated. Later, he kept his eyes on the floor when Slavik played the infamous video recording of Diddy kicking and dragging Ventura in a hallway at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. PSA: Every night during Diddy's trial, NBC's 'Dateline' will drop special episodes of the 'True Crime Weekly' podcast to get you up to speed. 'Dateline' correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News' Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
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Diddy scores huge courtroom victory as prosecutors DROP key parts of charges
Sean ' Diddy ' Combs scored a huge courtroom victory after prosecutors decided to drop key parts of the charges against him. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian prosecutors said they will no longer pursue theories presented during the blockbuster trial, including that the music mogul was involved in attempted arson and kidnapping. The two alleged acts were initially included in the government's racketeering conspiracy charge against Combs. All charges against him still remain. The charge still alleges that the 55-year-old was involved in transportation for purposes of prostitution, bribery, witness tampering and drug-related offenses. 'The Government is no longer planning to proceed on these theories of liability, so instructions are no longer necessary,' prosecutors wrote in the letter. The decision was made as a way to streamline the jury's instructions, which are being discussed in court today between lawyers and Judge Subramanian. The arson allegation stems from rapper Kid Cudi 's testimony, when he claimed Combs broke into his home after discovering his relationship with his long-time girlfriend and main accuser Cassie Ventura. After the alleged break in, a Porsche, owned by Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi, was set on fire in his driveway. No one was ever charged in this incident. The kidnapping theory stems from Combs' former assistant Capricorn Clark's testimony, where she said she was kidnapped by Combs, who was armed with a gun, and driven to Mescudi's home while he allegedly entered the residence. David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor who is now a partner at Jones Walker in Miami, Florida, told that this decision is a 'partial victory' for Diddy. He said that prosecutors had essentially 'conceded they do not have enough proof' for the kidnapping, arson and some of the sex trafficking claims. That is why they were 'abandoning them' right before the jury is set to hear closing arguments, Weinstein said. He said it was wrong to say that these allegations were being 'dropped' as there was no standalone charge for them in the first place. All of them were included under the racketeering, or RICO, charge. Weinstein said that in order to prove racketeering, prosecutors had to prove two or more acts that were covered by the statute. By not asking the jury to consider kidnapping, arson, or some of the sex trafficking charges, prosecutors would be leaning more heavily on other allegations. The other charges Diddy faces under RICO includes: possession of drugs with intent to supply, other parts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, bribery and tampering with a witness. Weinstein said: 'As they closed their case the government reevaluated the evidence they presented to the jury and determined there was not enough evidence to support these specific predicate acts in the RICO conspiracy. 'In order to avoid having the jury distracted by this lack of proof, they are asking that the jury not consider those acts any more. 'It's a partial victory for the defense and the prosecution is conceding they didn't submit enough proof. 'It's an effort by the government to clean things up.' According to Weinstein, had prosecutors not done this, it would have allowed Diddy's lawyers to 'poke holes' in their case. He said: 'If those allegations are still in there that allows the defense during closing arguments to turn and point at the prosecution and say here's the list they have to prove two or more from for RICO. 'Did you hear anything about this one? You can't rely on it, there's no proof beyond a reasonable doubt. 'They're overcharging because they thought they had it. Then they can ask why you should rely on any of that witness's testimony?' Another fact could have been anxiety among prosecutors about the impending July 4th holiday, which will lead to a three day week next week. 'Sometimes a holiday helps prosecutors, sometimes not', Weinstein said. The three-time Grammy winner denies racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The racketeering and sex trafficking charges against Combs, who is currently locked up at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, carry a minimum sentence of 15 years each. Transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum of 10 years behind bars. The jury was dismissed Tuesday and are due back in court Thursday. Closing arguments are anticipated to take place both Thursday and Friday from 9am-5pm. A charging conference, a meeting between the judge and the lawyers - usually held outside the presence of the jury - is taking place Wednesday starting at noon. During this time, they will discuss and finalize the jury instructions - the rules of law the jury must follow when deciding the case. Both sides will be able to propose instructions and object to others before the judge makes final decisions on what will be given to the jury.
Graziadaily
4 hours ago
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Everything To Know About Diddy's Defence Lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected to end soon, with closing arguments being presented by both sides over the next two days. The music mogul faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty. However, if he is found guilty he faces a life sentence. The task of defending Diddy against the numerous, serious criminal allegations is not an easy one. He therefore enlisted the help of leading appellate lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, who is a partner and co-founder at Shapiro Arato Bach LLP. Alexandra Shapiro is one of the leading criminal defence lawyers in the United States. She was one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's first clerks on the Supreme Court, served as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, and later founded a litigation firm that handles many high-profile cases. She is also an author and her novel, Presumed Guilty: A Novel, was published in March 2022. Shapiro is a born and bred New Yorker and currently lives there with her husband, who is also a criminal defence lawyer, and their three children. Throughout Diddy's trial, Shapiro has been campaigning for his acquittal, filing several motions for the trial to be dismissed. She says the prosecution failed to show evidence that Diddy tried to bribe anyone regarding the 2016 CCTV footage of him violently beating up his then-girlfriend Cassie, which was leaked last May. Shapiro said there was no police involvement at the time and no charges were pressed. She also argued that Diddy never threatened 'Mia', an anonymous ex-employee and alleged victim, after she told the court he sexually assaulted her several times. The lawyer also argued that all Diddy's former employees that testified in court and described harmful and gruelling working conditions, such as Daniel Phillip, Capricorn Clark or 'Mia', could have left the job. On 25 June, she also filed a motion for acquittal to Judge Arun Subramanian, saying the racketeering charges should be thrown out. 'There is insufficient proof to establish a single RICO charge in the indictment' and no evidence of a criminal "enterprise" has been shown. 'They say bodyguards and high-ranking employees but they fail to prove any individual actually conspired with him,' she says. Shapiro argued that staff carried out errands and made travel arrangements but were not involved in anything that went on with Diddy and his partners in their 'freak offs'. Shapiro has covered several high-profile cases throughout her career. As well as defending Diddy, she is also representing cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. In March 2024, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $11 billion in forfeiture for his orchestration of multiple fraudulent schemes. In September last year, Shapiro wrote to the appeals court asking them to overturn his conviction. Diddy and Bankman-Fried are currently cellmates. Shapiro has also won several high profile appellate reversals in criminal and civil cases. This includes two Supreme Court decisions narrowing the scope of the federal fraud statutes, Ciminelli v United States and Percoco v United States, as well as multiple Second Circuit rulings granting judgements of acquittal and new trials.
