Plaxico Burress Hires Benjamin Brafman, Illegal Weapons Defense Extraordinaire

Just moments ago ESPN reported that Plaxico Burress has hired criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman, who represented Sean “P. Diddy” Combs in 1999 when he was busted on illegal weapons and bribery charges stemming from a New York City club shooting that injured three people.

Here is what we know at this point…

• Burress is expected to be charged with criminal possession of a weapon, a felony that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. [Sporting News]

•Antonio Pierce is expected to be charged as well. Pierce, who was with Burress at the club, attempted to hide the weapon shortly after it discharged Friday morning, police sources told the News.  [Sporting News]

• A police spokesman said the shooting happened just before 1 a.m. at The Latin Quarter nightclub in midtown, which was where Burress was believed to have been partying with two Giants teammates and his wife. The bullet went “in and out” of Burress’ leg without hitting a bone or artery, police said. [Newsday]

•Burress arrived at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Hospital with his wife, Tiffany, and an unidentified man, police said. He was admitted around 2 a.m. and treated and released before 1 p.m. [Newsday]

• New York City police arrived at Burress’ sprawling $4-million home in Totowa, N.J., at 4:35 p.m. and spent 37 minutes outside the home. According to a police spokesman, Burress’ wife, Tiffany, told them, “You can’t come in. You can’t talk to my husband.” Police made a second visit just after 7:30 p.m. and left when no one answered the door. [Newsday]

More about criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman…

Benjamin Brafman is a criminal defense attorney based in New York. He maintains a small firm (Brafman Associates) in a prominent NYC building and has handled cases for some high profile celebrity clients. Ben Brafman’s first such client was Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who was ultimately acquitted from his 1999 illegal weapons and bribery charges. The criminal charges stemmed from a nightclub brawl, while accompanied by then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and Combs’ usual entourage, and witnessed by over 100 other people. Despite the numerous prosecution witnesses to Combs’ culpability, and Combs’ fame, Brafman’s legal skills produced a unanimous ‘not guilty’ verdict.
[Wikipedia]