Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar has changed legal counsel after new information came to light late last week about a possible payoff that took place at the office of attorney Michael Grieco.
Grieco and Michael Weinstein have withdrawn as Dunbar's counsel, according to court records. Andrew Rier and Jonathan Jordan of Rier Jordan will now represent Dunbar as he faces four counts of armed robbery from a May 13 incident in Miramar, Florida.
"We agreed that new counsel would allow for continued advocacy of Mr. Dunbar's innocence without any collateral distractions," Grieco told ESPN in a text message Monday about his decision to step aside in the case.
Dunbar's new attorneys filed Sunday for a Notice of Appearance and Notice of Participation in Discovery requesting all the necessary information from the state for this case.
The switch was made just days after evidence obtained by the New York Daily News from a search warrant indicated that the witness in the alleged robbery, Dominica Johnson, oversaw a payout to the victims at Grieco's office. The warrant noted video footage and direct messages as evidence. All four alleged victims signed affidavits shortly after recanting their original stories.
The Miami Herald then reported over the weekend that, as of last month, Grieco was under criminal investigation.
Grieco responded to the Daily News' report over the weekend.
"Law enforcement, both local and federal, was advised from day one and beyond that the alleged 'victims' in this case were actively extorting [DeAndre] Baker and Dunbar," he told The Seattle Times. "These men fabricated a robbery story after waiting an hour to call police and then immediately began contacting the players demanding money.
"My office obtained accurate and truthful affidavits consistent with the independent witness and my client's account. These 'victims' are seasoned career criminals who have been arrested and/or convicted of crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, to human trafficking, to filing a false police report. Mr. Dunbar took and passed a polygraph confirming that he did not participate or witness any robbery."
Baker, a cornerback for the New York Giants, also faces four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm from the incident. His attorney, Bradford Cohen, told ESPN over the weekend that no payment or offer of money was made from Baker.