Diddy hires the lawyer of Sam Bankman-Fried, cellmate

Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean “Diddy” Combs, in addition to sharing the cell, are now in the hands of the same lawyer, Alexandra Shapiro, just hired by the rapper. 

Sam Bankman-Fried and cellmate Diddy defended by the same lawyer

Apparently, in addition to sharing the cell, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and Sean “Diddy” Combs, seem to be in the hands of the same defense attorney now: Alexandra Shapiro. 

In fact, it seems that recently Diddy hired Shapiro to appeal the decision of a judge in New York to keep him in jail awaiting trial.

In practice, on September 12, New York prosecutors accused Diddy of racketeering conspiracy, child sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation for prostitution purposes.

At the same time, even Bankman-Fried, who in March was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the collapse of his crypto-exchange FTX, hired Shapiro to handle his appeal shortly after the sentencing.

Last month, Shapiro filed a 102-page appeal to the Second Circuit in favor of Bankman-Fried. His request calls for a new trial for his client and accuses the judge, who is overseeing his case, of being unfairly biased against him.

According to what reported, both the fraudster SBF and Diddy live in the same unit of the prison, sleeping in a “dormitory-style room” with other inmates.

Sam Bankman-Fried and Diddy: cellmates now with the same defense attorney

After six months from his conviction, Bankman-Fried has chosen to remain in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) of Brooklyn, notoriously dangerous, awaiting the outcome of the appeal. 

In reality, the notorious fraudster could choose to be transferred to a low-security prison near his family in California.

In any case, this decision led him to meet Diddy, with whom he has shared his cell since September 15. 

The lawyer of Bankman-Fried, and now also of Diddy, Alexandra Shapiro, is renowned for her expertise in the field of appeals. 

Diddy risks several convictions. Among others, the sole charge of sex trafficking carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with minimum penalties of 10-15 years depending on the age of the victims. The charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering and the charge of transportation for the purpose of prostitution carry maximum sentences of 20 and 25 years in prison, respectively.

The merciful fate for Caroline Ellison: the sentence to 24 months in prison 

Unlike Bankman-Fried, in the case of FTX, the former CEO of Alameda Research, Caroline Ellison, managed to obtain a sentence of “only” 24 months in prison. 

And in fact, while Bankman-Fried works on his appeal together with Shapiro, Ellison has managed to obtain her lenient sentence, calculating that she risked up to 110 years in prison for her crimes. 

Obviously, such clemency came only thanks to Ellison’s cooperation with the prosecution, in the case against Bankman-Fried, former colleague and alleged boyfriend.