The legal representatives of Sean "Diddy" Combs have officially announced their intention to challenge the rap mogul's conviction and 50-month prison sentence to a US federal court. They submitted a notice of appeal on Monday, and are in the process of finalizing the formal documentation.
Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but was acquitted on two other charges: sex trafficking and racketeering. Judge Arun Subramanian emphasized that a significant sentence was necessary to convey a message that the abuse of women "is met with real accountability." The judge also imposed a $500,000 (£374,000) fine and five years of probation on Combs.
While Combs had initially requested a 14-month sentence that would have seen his release soon after the trial due to time spent in jail awaiting trial, prosecutors sought more than 11 years. At his sentencing hearing in September, Combs expressed remorse, stating: "My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick. I got lost in excess, I got lost in my ego." He pleaded for "mercy" from the judge and apologized to two of the women who testified against him.
His legal team has signaled their intention to appeal both Combs' conviction and the judge's sentence. Combs' arrest in September 2024 and subsequent nearly two-month trial this summer garnered international media attention. Prosecutors accused him of using his powerful position in the music industry to run a sex trafficking operation and coercing his girlfriends to participate in "freak-offs" with male escorts.
Much of the case centered on his relationship with the singer Cassandra Ventura, who alleged Combs physically abused her and forced her to engage in "hotel nights" with male escorts. Another woman, who testified under the pseudonym Jane, claimed she felt pressured to participate in similar encounters even if she was unwell. A jury found Combs not guilty of the two most serious charges—sex trafficking and racketeering—but did find him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
