Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has announced plans to appeal his conviction and 50-month prison sentence, following his trial earlier this year on charges linked to the transportation of women for prostitution.
Attorneys for Combs filed a notice of appeal on Monday in a US federal court, with formal legal documents expected soon. The move comes weeks after a jury found the 55-year-old music executive guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, while acquitting him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
During sentencing, Judge Arun Subramanian said a significant punishment was necessary to send a clear message that “abuse of women is met with real accountability.” The judge imposed a $500,000 fine, five years of probation, and the nearly four-year prison term.
Combs, who had asked for a reduced 14-month sentence to account for time served while awaiting trial, told the court at his September hearing that he was “ashamed” of his actions.
“My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick,” Combs said tearfully. “I got lost in excess, I got lost in my ego.”
He also apologised directly to two of the women who testified against him, pleading for mercy before the court.
The high-profile case drew global attention throughout the summer. Prosecutors alleged that Combs used his music empire as a front for coercing women into sexual encounters, orchestrating so-called “freak-offs” with male escorts.
Much of the testimony focused on his former girlfriend, singer Cassandra Ventura, who accused Combs of physical abuse and forcing her into sexual acts with others. Another witness, identified only as Jane, told the court she was pressured to take part in similar situations, even while ill.
Though acquitted of the most severe charges, Combs’ conviction marked a dramatic fall from grace for one of hip-hop’s most influential figures — a man once celebrated for his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, his fashion brand, and his status as a global entrepreneur.
His legal team has vowed to challenge both the conviction and sentence, maintaining that the verdict was “flawed” and that Combs did not receive a fair trial.
Combs remains incarcerated while the appeal process begins, a chapter that could stretch for months as his lawyers seek to overturn what they describe as a “miscarriage of justice.”
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