Diddy snatched up Young Thug’s lawyer for his defense team

Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is preparing for a major sex trafficking trial scheduled to start in May, has made a big move by strengthening his legal team. He has hired Brian Steel, the lawyer who famously helped rapper Young Thug get out of prison in a high-stakes RICO case. Steel recently filed paperwork in April 2025 to practice law in the Southern District of New York, where Diddy’s trial will happen.

As reported by Billboard, this is a key strategic decision by the music mogul, who is facing serious legal trouble. Bringing Steel onto the team is especially important when you look at the kinds of cases he has handled before. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was involved in a complicated RICO case in Georgia.

The case claimed that his rap group, YSL, was actually a dangerous gang involved in crimes like drug dealing, carjackings, and even a drive-by shooting. Steel defended Young Thug with a calm but persistent approach in court, and in the end, he managed to get an unexpected result—Young Thug was sentenced to 15 years of probation but no jail time.

Diddy’s defense team hired Young Thug’s lawyer

This win came after problems with a key witness and plea deals for other defendants, showing Steel’s skill in handling tough cases. At one point, Steel even accused the judge of having a secret meeting with prosecutors and a witness. When Steel refused to say how he knew about the meeting, he was briefly held in contempt, which led to the judge being taken off the case.

Diddy’s case also involves RICO charges, but the accusations are very different. He is accused of using his fame and business power to sexually abuse multiple women over many years while also allegedly silencing his victims. While both cases involve RICO laws, Young Thug’s case was about gang violence, while Diddy’s focuses on sexual misconduct and intimidation.

Even with these differences, it makes sense why Diddy would want Steel on his side. Steel has shown he can fight serious charges, get good results even when the evidence seems overwhelming, and push back against overzealous prosecutors—all qualities that would appeal to Diddy and his legal team. It seems Diddy is building a strong defense team to handle every part of this complicated case.

Before adding Steel, Diddy’s legal team had already gone through some changes. In February, well-known lawyer Anthony Ricco left the case for unknown reasons, while appeals expert Alexandra Shapiro joined in October.

Steel will now work alongside Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, who are already part of Diddy’s defense.Mark Geragos, a famous attorney known for handling high-profile cases, will also have a major role in Diddy’s defense. Either way, Steel’s calm but aggressive style could be extremely useful in Diddy’s trial.