Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Files Appeal to Overturn Federal Sentence
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| Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Files Appeal to Overturn Federal Sentence |
Defense attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared before an appeals court on Thursday, arguing for the reversal of the hip-hop mogul’s four-year prison sentence linked to prostitution offenses.
The 56-year-old was sentenced in October following a high-profile trial that exposed the details of "freak-offs"—elaborate sexual encounters involving the artist, his former partner Casandra Ventura, and others.
While a jury cleared Combs of the more severe charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, he was found guilty on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
Although Combs was absent from the Manhattan courtroom, his attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, contended before a three-judge panel that the term of four years and two months was excessively harsh given the nature of the convictions.
“The evidence the judge was relying on was totally separate and in fact was acquitted conduct,” Shapiro said.
Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro argued that District Judge Arun Subramanian erred by considering allegations that Combs threatened Ventura and another woman, maintaining that such evidence pertained strictly to the charges for which he was acquitted.
Conversely, prosecutors defended the sentencing, citing an incident where Combs brandished footage of Ventura at previous "freak-offs" just hours before another event. They characterized this move as a clear intimidation tactic designed to coerce her ongoing involvement in the sessions.
“These incidents are specifically tied to transportation,” prosecutor Christy Slavik told the court.
Underscoring the complexity of the legal debate, prosecutor Slavik employed a "pizza" analogy to argue that specific "slices" of evidence remained relevant to the final sentencing, even if they touched on acquitted conduct.
The proceedings concluded without an immediate ruling, with Judge William Nardini acknowledging the matter as an "exceptionally difficult case."
While Combs is also seeking to overturn his conviction entirely, those broader arguments were not the primary focus of Thursday’s hearing.
The artist is currently serving his time at the low-security Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey, with a projected release date set for the spring of 2028.
