Combs Lawyers Seek Release in Sentencing Appeal

Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs filed an emergency motion on December 23 with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, seeking his immediate release from federal prison ahead of Christmas or a reduction of his 50-month sentence. The filing argues that the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in October violated constitutional guidelines by relying on evidence related to charges on which Combs was acquitted.

Combs, 56, has been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, since his conviction in July following an eight-week trial in Manhattan. A jury found him guilty on two counts under the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. However, the panel acquitted him of more serious charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors had accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise that involved drugs, violence, and orchestrated sexual encounters known as "freakoffs," where employees allegedly recruited male escorts for his romantic partners. Defense attorneys maintained that the activities were consensual elements of a private adult lifestyle, and...