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Sean Combs Appeals Conviction, Argues Sex-Video Recordings Are Protected Speech
His lawyers say the recordings were expressive amateur pornography and argue the 50-month sentence relied on acquitted conduct.
- On Thursday, attorneys for Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared before a three-judge Second Circuit panel to challenge his 50-month prison sentence and prostitution-related conviction, though Combs remained imprisoned in New Jersey and did not attend.
- A New York jury convicted Combs in July 2025 of violating the Mann Act by transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution, while acquitting him of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
- Defense lawyers argue Combs' filmed sexual encounters constitute "amateur pornography" protected by the First Amendment, while prosecutors contend this claim is meritless and could improperly shield commercial brothels from legal oversight.
- Combs' team claims U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian improperly considered acquitted conduct when imposing the sentence, arguing the 50-month term is roughly four times higher than typical penalties for similar prostitution offenses.
- The Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel has not yet ruled on the appeal, while Combs continues serving his sentence at Fort Dix, New Jersey, with a scheduled release date in April 2028.
199 Articles
199 Articles
On Thursday, April 9, 2026, P. Diddy's lawyers pleaded in a federal court of appeal to seek the release of their client, who put forward a totally improbable defence to justify the elements incriminating Sean Combs.
By Kara Scannell and Nicki Brown, CNN. A panel of federal appeals court judges on Thursday questioned US prosecutors and lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs about the validity of his 50-month prison sentence after he was convicted on prostitution-related charges. Combs’ lawyers are seeking the music mogul’s release, arguing that the trial judge improperly considered conduct for which Combs had been acquitted, particularly evidence related to the more…
American rapper and businessman Sean Combs, known as Diddy, filed an appeal this Thursday to his judicial conviction in which he invokes freedom of expression as the central axis of his defense. The 56-year-old artist is serving a sentence of more than four years in prison after having been sentenced in 2025 on two charges related to the transportation of persons to engage in prostitution.
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