Will all Miami-Dade prosecutors be disqualified in OnlyFans model’s murder case?
The defense team of OnlyFans model and murder defendant Courtney Clenney pushed for the disqualification of the entire Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office following the exit of the lead prosecutor.
At a hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Thursday, Clenney’s attorney Frank Prieto argued that the State Attorney’s Office — by failing to act after discovering it had accessed privileged materials — violated legal standards and fairness, warranting disqualification of the entire office.
At the center of the defense team’s argument was Khalil Quinan, the former lead prosecutor on the case, who withdrew after a judge ruled he could be deposed and questioned under oath about his access to the material.
“It is my hope that my withdrawal will facilitate the resolution of the Defendant’s meritless motions, correct the record, and allow these proceedings to refocus on what truly matters: justice for Christian Obumseli,” Quinan wrote in a March memo.
Assistant State Attorney Shawn Abuhoff, who recently reassumed his role as lead prosecutor following Quinan’s withdrawal, pushed back against the defense’s claims. He argued that Clenney had suffered no actual prejudice — the legal threshold for disqualification — because neither he nor his co-counsel accessed the protected communications.
“The only person who accessed this is Mr. Quinan,” Abuhoff said. He added that Quinan did not remember what was in the privileged material.
Abuhoff emphasized that any potentially privileged materials are no longer accessible to prosecutors.
“The state has done its proactive work to ensure that the rights of the defendant aren’t violated,” Abuhoff said. “There is no current or future risk of prejudice.”
Judge Laura Shearon Cruz has yet to rule on whether the entire Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office will be removed from the case.
Clenney, 29, has been in jail since August 2022, charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, 27, at their luxury condo in Miami. The couple had a volatile relationship that often turned violent, according to authorities.
Although the documents were collected with a search warrant during a now-dropped hacking case against the Clenneys, Judge Laura Shearon Cruz previously ruled that they were protected by privilege, even if prosecutors were unaware at the time that the family had retained lawyers.
READ MORE: Lead prosecutor in OnlyFans murder case steps down after judge rules he can be deposed
Prieto detailed how the defense repeatedly notified prosecutors, through three separate letters, that the prosecutors had obtained confidential work product and communications protected by attorney-client privilege.
According to Prieto, those letters were met with “complete silence” from the state.
The disputed material included emails and text messages between Clenney’s parents and their legal team that revealed strategic elements of Clenney’s defense.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 3:17 PM.