Defense lawyers of Seattle Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar withdraw from armed robbery case

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar’s defense lawyers have withdrawn from his armed robbery case, according to court documents filed Sunday, just days after a bombshell report said the alleged victims were paid off to recant their initial statement to police.

Miami-based law firm Rier Jordan, R.A. is listed as Dunbar’s new counsel. His new reps have immediately served discovery requests on the Broward County State Attorney’s office, a move to collect evidence against the Seahawks cornerback.

The representation change marks another twist in Dunbar’s armed robbery case, which has been unusual since it first surfaced in May.

It doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

The explosive report last Friday, courtesy of The New York Daily News, says the four victims of the alleged armed robbery were paid a total of $55,000 to recant. The cover-up transaction allegedly took place at the office of Dunbar’s former criminal defense lawyer, Michael Grieco, two days after the incident.

The withdrawal of Grieco and Dunbar’s second defense lawyer, Michael Weinstein, does not necessarily mean a trial is imminent — Dunbar’s case has been pending since May. The discovery requests are a procedural move for Dunbar’s new representation to gather all the information available to figure out how best to move forward.

Grieco, facing allegations of bribing witnesses, said in a statement to The Seattle Times that it was in the best interest of Dunbar to have new representation for his case.

“We agreed that new counsel would allow for continued advocacy of Mr. Dunbar’s innocence without any collateral distractions,” Grieco said.

The New York Daily News report cited a warrant that identifies the individual who oversaw the payoff as Dominic Johnson — the witness of the alleged armed robbery named in the police report, who told authorities he’s known Dunbar and Giants corner DeAndre Baker, a co-defendant in the case, since they were children.
 
Johnson, according to the warrant, corroborated that a robbery had occurred May 13 and that Dunbar and Baker were the participants.
 
The story referenced “video evidence that shows Grieco, Johnson, an unknown individual, and the four alleged victims at the attorney’s (Grieco’s) office on May 15 appearing to make the pay off.” It said Johnson met the unknown individual in the lobby of Grieco’s office building with a “black bag”’ that had a “large quantity of money,” and they rode up the elevator together to meet up with Grieco and the victims.
 
Within the hour, Grieco indicated to Miramar, Florida police detective Mark Moretti that there was a change in testimony from the victims, the report said.
 
The New York Daily News identifies Moretti as the one who submitted the bombshell warrant.
 
“On 5/15/20, I was contacted by Michael Grieco, attorney for Dunbar, stating the victims and witnesses have recanted their sworn/recorded statements against Dunbar,” the warrant reads, according to the story. “However, I also want the court to be aware that all five individuals have been threatened and have expressed extreme concern to me regarding their safety. One of the individual(s) was forced to move out of his apartment. The other was receiving text messages containing pictures of his passport, the same passport that was stolen during the robbery.”
 
Dunbar was charged with four counts of armed robbery with a firearm stemming from the May 13 incident in Miramar, Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. Dunbar, Baker and another person allegedly stole thousands of dollars in cash, watches and other valuables at a party, according to the police report.
 
Dunbar was released from a South Florida jail after an overnight stay on $100,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the armed robbery charges. 
 
The Seahawks in March traded a fifth-round draft pick to Washington for Dunbar, who’s expected to challenge Tre Flowers for Seattle’s starting job at right cornerback.
 
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Ben Arthur covers sports for SeattlePI. He can be reached by email at benjaminarthur@seattlepi.com. Follow him on twitter at @benyarthur.