Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is preparing to appeal his federal conviction after being sentenced to more than four years in prison and fined $500,000 for transporting individuals across state lines for sex.
The 55-year-old music executive was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which could have carried a life sentence. However, his legal team insists the remaining conviction is legally flawed and plans to file an appeal in the coming days.
“Both the guidelines calculation and the sentence took account of conduct for which Mr. Combs was acquitted by a jury,” defence attorney Marc Agnifilo told the New York Post. “We contend this amounts to legal error.”
Combs has already spent about a year in custody following his 2024 arrest. With no parole in the federal system, he could be released in just over three years.
The conviction followed a high-profile trial in Manhattan, where jurors heard testimony from several women who alleged they were coerced into drug-fuelled “freak-off” sex parties. Prosecutors relied on the Mann Act, a 1910 statute prohibiting the transportation of individuals across state lines for illicit sexual activity. Combs’ lawyers countered that the encounters were entirely consensual.
The ruling marks another chapter in a long string of legal troubles for the Bad Boy Records founder. His criminal history dates back to 1996, when he was convicted of criminal mischief for allegedly threatening a photographer with a firearm.
The latest wave of allegations began in 2023 when singer Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of rape and prolonged abuse. The case was settled within 24 hours for $20 million — a move legal analysts say emboldened other alleged victims to come forward. Since then, nearly 100 civil lawsuits have been filed against Combs across the United States, citing sexual assault, harassment, and emotional abuse.
Currently detained at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, Combs may be transferred to a low-security facility near his Miami residence to serve the rest of his sentence.
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