‘Another win for Brian Steel’: Atlanta attorneys react to Diddy trial

Steel was thrust into the national spotlight while representing Atlanta rapper Young Thug in Fulton County’s long-running “Young Slime Life” gang and racketeering case. He also defended former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson, who stood accused of hindering the police investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s 2020 murder. A judge dismissed both charges against her in February.

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Over the past year, Steel has also modeled for Young Thug’s clothing line, he’s been profiled in The New Yorker and even had a Drake song named after him.

Attorneys involved in the Combs case are still subject to a gag order.

Combs dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges in a closely-followed trial that could have resulted in him being sentenced to life in prison, The Associated Press reported.

The musician’s two convictions on lesser prostitution-related offenses means he’s unlikely to receive more than two years behind bars, attorneys speculated Wednesday afternoon.

Combs faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each count, but attorneys think U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian won’t deviate too far from federal sentencing guidelines, which call for less time in custody.

The 55-year-old Grammy winner has been behind bars since his September arrest.

“It’s definitely a win,” said Marietta defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. “Any time you know your client’s going to be able to see the light of day it’s a win.”

Merchant represents one of the defendants in another high-profile case alleging violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of President Donald Trump and a group of allies prosecutors say conspired to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 election.

Atlanta attorney Keith Adams, who worked alongside Steel in the YSL and Jackie Johnson cases, said he also considers the Combs verdict to be a victory for his former co-counsel.

“I think this was another example of prosecutorial overreach,” Adams said of the government’s case in New York. “When prosecutors have incidents that they don’t have the ability to charge and convict on, then they reach for RICO ... Thankfully there was a jury that was smart enough to see through it.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Anti-racketeering laws were initially intended to take down mob bosses and allow prosecutors to introduce certain evidence that may not otherwise be relevant in a typical criminal case, said Adams, who was also involved in the lengthy Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal trial, another case that included RICO charges.

Prosecutors argued at trial that Combs coerced women into abusive sex parties involving hired male sex workers and ensured their compliance with drugs and threats to their careers. The government alleged Combs silenced victims through blackmail and violence that included kidnapping, arson and beatings, the AP reported.

He was denied bond Wednesday evening, meaning he will remain behind bars until his October sentencing.

Defense attorney Noah Pines, who spent more than seven years as a prosecutor, said racketeering cases have become much more common in recent years, especially in state cases.

While RICO can be an effective tool, Pines said, prosecutors bringing such cases have a tendency to get caught up in complicated narratives that make it tough for a jury to follow.

“They just promise so much with their stories. Then when they don’t prove it, it makes them look bad,” Pines said.

In Combs’ case, though, Pines said he could see how federal prosecutors might view the split verdict as a win.

“No other state was prosecuting him for what he was accused of doing,” Pines said. “So you could say the federal prosecution was somewhat successful. It got him convicted of two felony offenses which he probably would have never otherwise been prosecuted for.”

Steel’s longtime colleagues praised the lawyer’s work ethic and legal acumen, calling him a well-versed attorney and a staunch advocate for his clients.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Attorney Don Samuel said he noted Tuesday what a stellar year Steel seems to be having.

“I said that to someone yesterday and they said, ‘Brian’s been having a great career,’” Samuel laughed. “He’s doing a great job.”

In Combs’ trial, Samuel said the government’s decision to pursue a RICO charge likely made the prosecution’s case far more complicated than it needed to be.

“They overcharged it,” Samuel said. “In all likelihood, they could have just simplified it and just charged him with what the videos show.”

Merchant said the split verdict shows jurors were at least somewhat skeptical of the government’s allegations. They clearly thought Combs did something wrong, she said, but perhaps didn’t feel comfortable convicting him of the most serious charges.

She said a decade ago, most people viewed racketeering and sex trafficking cases as “slam dunks” for prosecutors. Now that seems to be changing, she said.

“A lot of people watched YSL, a lot of people watched the Trump case unravel,” she said. “I think they’re starting to become more skeptical of these charges.”

Fleischman said the government made the case more difficult than it needed to be.

“Trying to turn that into a big conspiracy just didn’t strike people as plausible,” he said.