Maurene Comey, one of the federal prosecutors in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial, has reportedly been fired.
The New York Times reported on Thursday, July 17, that Comey was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump’s administration one day prior. According to the newspaper, Comey was notified about her termination in a letter that cited Article II of the Constitution, which describes the powers of the president.
Multiple outlets noted that the reason for the firing was not immediately clear, but one source told CNN that Maurene’s position was untenable given that her father, former FBI director James Comey, is “constantly going after the administration.”
Prior to her firing, Maurene worked for the Southern District of New York on the criminal cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. One month later, he died by suicide in his jail cell at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
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Epstein’s associate Maxwell, meanwhile, was arrested in 2020 and charged with enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children and perjury. Prosecutors later added charges of sex trafficking a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy. She pleaded not guilty to all charges but was found guilty of five sex trafficking-related counts.
Most recently, Maurene was one of the prosecutors in the Diddy trial, which began in May and wrapped up earlier this month. Diddy, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. The disgraced mogul pleaded not guilty to the charges and has repeatedly denied all of the allegations against him.
On July 2, the jury found Diddy guilty of two counts of transportation but acquitted him of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He is set to be sentenced on October 3 and remains incarcerated at MDC after Judge Arun Subramanian denied his request for bail on the day the verdict was returned.
Earlier this month, reports claimed that Maurene’s father, James, is being investigated by the FBI for possible false statements to Congress. James, 64, served as FBI director from September 2013 until May 2017, when he was dismissed by Trump, 79, during his first administration.
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In recent weeks, the second Trump administration has faced criticism for the decision not to release additional evidence from the government’s sex trafficking investigation of Epstein. Earlier this month, the Justice Department released a memo claiming that no Epstein client list existed.
Trump, meanwhile, has hit back at critics who remain invested in the case.
“I don’t understand why they would be so interested,” he told reporters on Tuesday, July 15. “He’s dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is, I really don’t.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
