Attorneys for Sean 'Diddy' Combs have notified a US federal court of their plans to appeal the rap mogul's conviction and 50-month prison sentence. They filed a notice of appeal on Monday and are expected to submit the formal documents soon.
Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted on two other charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Judge Arun Subramanian stated that a substantial sentence was needed to send a message that the abuse of women is met with real accountability. He also issued Combs a $500,000 (£374,000) fine and five years of probation.
Combs had requested a 14-month sentence that would have allowed for his release soon after the trial due to time already served, but prosecutors pushed for more than 11 years. In his sentencing hearing, Combs admitted, My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick, and pleaded for mercy, offering apologies to two women who testified against him.
His legal team has since indicated their intent to appeal both the conviction and the judge's sentence. Combs was arrested in September 2024, and the two-month trial this summer garnered international media attention.
Prosecutors accused him of leveraging his powerful position in the music industry to operate a de facto sex trafficking operation, coercing his girlfriends into participating in so-called freak-offs with male escorts. The testimony of singer Cassandra Ventura, who claimed Combs physically abused her and forced her into hotel nights with male escorts, was central to the case. Another witness, identified as Jane, described feeling pressured to engage in similar encounters even when unwell.
While the jury found Combs not guilty of the two most severe charges—sex trafficking and racketeering—they did convict him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted on two other charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Judge Arun Subramanian stated that a substantial sentence was needed to send a message that the abuse of women is met with real accountability. He also issued Combs a $500,000 (£374,000) fine and five years of probation.
Combs had requested a 14-month sentence that would have allowed for his release soon after the trial due to time already served, but prosecutors pushed for more than 11 years. In his sentencing hearing, Combs admitted, My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick, and pleaded for mercy, offering apologies to two women who testified against him.
His legal team has since indicated their intent to appeal both the conviction and the judge's sentence. Combs was arrested in September 2024, and the two-month trial this summer garnered international media attention.
Prosecutors accused him of leveraging his powerful position in the music industry to operate a de facto sex trafficking operation, coercing his girlfriends into participating in so-called freak-offs with male escorts. The testimony of singer Cassandra Ventura, who claimed Combs physically abused her and forced her into hotel nights with male escorts, was central to the case. Another witness, identified as Jane, described feeling pressured to engage in similar encounters even when unwell.
While the jury found Combs not guilty of the two most severe charges—sex trafficking and racketeering—they did convict him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
