Sean Combs’ Legal Team Appeals Sex Crimes Conviction
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys are set to argue in appeals court that the judge presiding over his sex crimes trial improperly used evidence of past abuse and threats against his ex-girlfriend in determining his sentence on prostitution charges.
The 56-year-old Combs is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan, hoping to have both his conviction and sentence overturned. He is currently serving time at a maximum-security federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey.
During a seven-week trial last year, the proceedings focused on a series of drug-fueled sexual encounters, referred to as “freak offs,” involving Combs’ two ex-girlfriends and a male sex worker. The founder of Bad Boy Records was found guilty by a jury on July 2, 2025, for two instances of transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
However, the jury did acquit him of more serious charges, including sex trafficking and extortion. These allegations involved claims that he had coerced his ex-girlfriends—Cassandra Ventura and a woman using the alias Jane—into watching, participating in, or filming sexual acts.
At the hearing on Thursday, defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro will argue that Combs should not have been convicted of prostitution, as he merely witnessed one ex-girlfriend engaging with a paid escort without participating himself.
Shapiro plans to challenge the judge’s ruling, stating that U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian wrongly took Combs’ alleged coercive behavior, which was associated with the acquitted charges, into account during sentencing. Combs is set to be sentenced to 50 months in prison on October 3, 2025.
Shapiro contends that the consideration of threats made by Combs, including threats to release explicit videos of Ventura and stop Jane’s rent payments, was inappropriate for sentencing purposes.
In a court filing, she stated, “Sentencing Mr. Combs as if a jury had found him guilty of sex trafficking and RICO charges is unlawful, unconstitutional, and a perversion of justice,” referencing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Conversely, prosecutor Kristi Slavik argues that Judge Subramanian was justified in regarding the threats and abuse evidence, maintaining that even if Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking, those actions are still relevant to the prostitution allegations.
Slavik remarked, “According to Combs, the district court should have turned a blind eye to how he perpetrated the Mann Act violation and abused his victims,” referring to the federal law against transporting individuals for prostitution.
While Combs acknowledged that he had been abusive toward his ex-girlfriend, he clarified that the incident in question was unrelated to the consensual sexual activities being criticized in the case.
Combs is currently set for release on April 15, 2028, per the records from the Bureau of Prisons.
