Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs plan to appeal his federal conviction and prison sentence.
Diddy, 55, was sentenced to just over four years in federal prison on Friday, October 3, after he was convicted of transporting people across state lines for sex. He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering.
“Both the guidelines calculation and the sentence took account of conduct for which Mr. Combs was acquitted by a jury,” Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told The New York Post on Saturday, October 4. “We contend this amounts to legal error.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Diddy’s legal team for comment.
Diddy was sentenced on Friday just over four years after he was arrested in New York City and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the multiple allegations against him.
Following a two-month trial that began in May, a jury acquitted Diddy of the more serious charges of racketeering and trafficking but found him guilty on two counts of transportation.
The disgraced mogul’s legal team repeatedly tried to get him released on bail after his arrest and following the partial guilty verdict, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied every request. He has been incarcerated at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024.
In July, Diddy’s lawyers filed a motion asking that their client be acquitted or granted a new trial. Subramanian denied that request on September 30.
Days before the sentencing, the defense asked Subramanian to give Diddy a 14-month sentence followed by a supervised release with mandatory drug treatment, individual therapy and group therapy. The requested 14 months would have included the year Diddy already spent at MDC, meaning that he would have been released by the end of the year.
Diddy’s lawyers argued that “the proposed sentence is the only just and fair sentence for Mr. Combs,” because guidelines for “Mr. Combs’s crimes of conviction” usually stipulate a prison term of six to 12 months.
The Sean John founder’s legal team also claimed that he “has been adequately punished by serving 13 months in the terrible conditions” at the MDC. These conditions allegedly included “constant suicide watch,” where he is checked upon by security guards every two hours, even while sleeping, “limited access to clean water,” and “lack of access to healthy, or edible, food.”
Diddy’s attorneys also said their client had “became sober for the first time in 25 years” and had an “incident-free record” in prison, had no prior criminal history, and “has already seen how being arrested and convicted can destroy his reputation and lead to terrible collateral consequences for his businesses, and he recognizes the consequences his actions have had for himself and his family.”
The September memo was supplemented by dozens of letters of support from family, friends and supporters, including his mother, Janice Combs, his six eldest children and ex-girlfriends Yung Miami and Sarah Chapman.
“Behind the scenes, he was loving, genuine, supportive and always encouraging,” Yung Miami, 31, told the judge. “He motivated me, believed in me and helped me grow both personally and professionally. I’m writing this letter because I believe it’s important for the court to know the side of Sean that isn’t always seen or spoken about — the man who poured into others, who gave opportunities, who led by example and who loved deeply.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
