Diddy will challenge his federal conviction after being sentenced to over four years in prison and fined $500K for transporting people for sex.
Diddy is gearing up for a legal counterstrike after a federal judge sentenced him to more than four years in prison and slapped him with a $500,000 fine for transporting individuals across state lines for sex.
The 55-year-old Hip-Hop mogul was acquitted of the most severe charges, sex trafficking and racketeering, which could have resulted in a life sentence. But his legal team says the conviction itself is flawed and plans to challenge it.
“Both the guidelines calculation and the sentence took account of conduct for which Mr. Combs was acquitted by a jury,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told the New York Post. “We contend this amounts to legal error.”
The appeal notice is expected to be filed within days.
Combs has already served about a year behind bars following his 2024 arrest. Since the federal system doesn’t offer parole, he could be released in just over three years.
The conviction came after a high-profile trial in Manhattan, where jurors listened to disturbing testimony from several women who described being coerced into drug-fueled “freak-off” sex parties.
Prosecutors leaned on the Mann Act, a 1910 law that criminalizes transporting people across state lines for illicit sexual activity. Combs’ attorneys argued the encounters were “consensual.”
The legal saga is just one chapter in a long history of allegations involving the Bad Boy Records founder. His criminal record dates back to 1996, when he was convicted of criminal mischief after allegedly threatening a photographer with a firearm.
The current wave of litigation began in 2023 when R&B; singer Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of rape and years of abuse. That case was settled in under 24 hours for $20 million, a move that legal experts say may have encouraged other accusers to come forward.
Since then, nearly 100 civil lawsuits have been filed against Combs across the country, alleging everything from sexual assault to harassment and emotional abuse.
Combs is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. It’s unclear where he will serve the remainder of his sentence, though a transfer to a low-security facility near his Miami home is being considered.