Sean "Diddy" Combs seeks to recruit a Black female attorney to his legal team ahead of his federal sex trafficking trial.

According to TMZ, the possible hire, which could be for appearances, is intended to actually assist Diddy's current lead attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos. The team believes that a Black woman lawyer would add a needed and necessary voice and presence to what the former Bad Boy Records mogul and his team have long felt is a racially tinged case against him.

Agnifilo and Geragos will still serve as lead counsel, but they hope to register another capable defense attorney as soon as possible. Jury selection is set to start on May 5, but the defense has requested a two-week delay to prepare.

Plea Entered in Court Appearance

Diddy, who appeared in Manhattan federal court Monday, pleaded not guilty to new charges filed against him earlier this month. Two new counts were included in the third superseding indictment, which accused the music mogul of allegedly inducing a woman — dubbed Victim-2 in court documents — to partake in commercial sex acts through "force, fraud, or coercion," between 2021 and 2024 in addition to the ongoing criminal case.

The legal scrutiny over the rapper is being intensified in light of allegations that he transported Victim-2 and others for prostitution, prosecutors alleged.

But in a statement, Diddy's attorneys hit back, "These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion."

During the trial, prosecutors say that four accusers are expected to testify. These include singer Cassie Ventura, who was named Victim-1 in the indictment and dated Diddy for years in a long-term relationship. She is "prepared to testify under her real name," according to TMZ, which would make her the highest-profile accuser in the case.

Originally published on Music Times

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Diddy, Sean Combs