As Sean "Puffy" Combs awaits word on whether he'll be indicted on gun possession charges, the rap mogul has reportedly added former O.J. Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran to his legal team.
Cochran has been informally assisting and advising Combs since he was arrested in late December on charges stemming from the shooting at New York City nightclub, according to "The New York Daily News" and "The New York Post." The newspapers indicated that Cochran wouldn't be "officially retained" unless Puffy was formally indicted (see "Shyne Indicted For Murder, Grand Jury Still Mulling Charges Against Puffy"), and also suggested that another lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, would likely join Harvey Slovis on Puffy's legal team as well. Brafman rose to prominence for defending Mafia hitman Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano, who was second-in-command of the Gambino crime family before turning state's evidence in 1992 and testifying against reputed crime boss John Gotti. In addition to all the legal help, Puff Daddy has also drawn words of support from civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who has supposedly contacted Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau to express his support for the rapper and head of Bad Boy Records.
