Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Counts on ‘Pharma Bro’ Lawyer for His Defense

Sean “Diddy” Combs, by tapping Marc Agnifilo to defend him against sex trafficking and racketeering charges, has turned to a veteran former prosecutor familiar with complex criminal enterprises.

Agnifilo’s clients have included Martin Shkreli, the so-called Pharma Bro, and sex cult leader Keith Raniere. He’s also represented Russian banks, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader, a Syrian-Lebanese gun runner, and a slew of lawyers that have faced scrutiny over ties to their own clients.

“He’s quite knowledgeable in the law, but also a great diplomat, and as a former prosecutor he definitely knows how the system works,” said Eugene Gourevitch, a past client of Agnifilo’s in a fraud case. “He knows the levers to pull.”

Authorities arrested Combs in a New York hotel on Sept. 16 and in addition to sex trafficking alleged that he engaged in forced labor, interstate transportation for prostitution, drug offenses, and kidnapping. The hip-hop mogul’s lawyers on Wednesday asked that he await trial in home detention rather than jail.

Six months ago Agnifilo hung his own shingle with litigators who, like himself, had worked with prominent New York criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman. Agnifilo had been with Brafman’s litigation boutique since 2006.

He often had a hand—or quietly shouldered the load—on key matters for Brafman’s firm, such as the defense of Shkreli, who served almost seven years in prison for fraud.

Shkreli said Sept. 16 on the social media platform X that Combs will be acquitted. “Marc Agnifilo has rescued a lot worse,” he wrote. Shkreli didn’t respond to a comment request.

Agnifilo was the head of the violent and organized crime unit at the US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, where he spent a decade specializing in mafia and gang-related cases. His career began in 1990 at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where he met his wife, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who introduced him to Brafman and works at her husband’s firm.

Marc Agnifilo didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Legal Tactician

Agnifilo, while still at Brafman’s shop, last year represented Roger Ng, a former employee of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. who received a 10-year prison sentence for his role in Malaysia’s 1MDB fraud. That term, however, has been repeatedly postponed as Ng assists law enforcement officials abroad.

Another Agnifilo client, Peter Coker Sr., is facing securities fraud charges for running a single New Jersey deli once valued at more than $100 million.

Gourevitch is familiar with Agnifilo’s ability to take on complicated cases with an added layer of international intrigue. He was a financial adviser to the former leader of Kyrgyzstan and spent about five years in prison after Agnifilo secured a plea deal for him in another fraud case.

Gourevitch said he knew about statistics showing that the Justice Department overwhelmingly prevails in cases that go to trial. He said Agnifilo was willing to fight his case in court but was also honest about the long odds for exoneration.

“He will make the best possible recommendation for his client, whoever the client is,” Gourevitch said of Agnifilo.

Brafman confirmed in an email that he’s no longer counsel to Combs, who he and Agnifilo most recently represented in a lawsuit filed last year by Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. The former Bad Boy Records singer claimed she was sexually assaulted and trafficked by Combs for more than a decade.

Combs settled that lawsuit in November 2023, but similar accusations emerged, leading him to step down as chairman of Revolt Media. The business empire that Combs built also began to unravel as his legal troubles continued.

Defending Diddy—who could face more than 15 years in prison—will be a tough task. Raniere, a former Agnifilo client who also faced sex trafficking and racketeering charges, received a 120-year prison sentence.

Federal prosecutors disclosed during a Tuesday press conference that three AR-15 rifles with defaced serial numbers, narcotics, videos of sexual encounters called “Freak Offs,” and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant were seized from his homes. A magistrate judge denied Combs bail later that day.

Boies Schiller Flexner of counsel Shira Scheindlin, a former federal judge in Manhattan, handled several cases involving Agnifilo working alongside Brafman.

“I recall him as a very articulate, thoughtful, and well-prepared advocate,” she said in an email. She added that Agnifilo is “well-qualified” to advise Combs.