As Sean “Diddy” Combs remains in prison, his legal team has been making efforts to appeal his conviction. The past few months have seen the lawyers building a case and arguing their reasons as to why they believe 56-year-old Combs’ incarceration is unjust. Prosecutors have since argued against Team Combs’ rationale and most recently shared comments on that in paperwork filed this past February. Now, Diddy’s team is responding via newly filed documents, with which they call the rapper’s conviction a “perversion of justice.”
Diddy’s attorneys filed these latest docs on Friday, March 13, according to TMZ. As laid out in the filing, they argue that the Grammy winner’s four-year (or 50-month) sentence to be a “perversion of justice” due to allegedly not being comparable to the charges. Diddy’s trial ended with a mixed verdict that saw him convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and found not guilty on counts of sex trafficking and racketeering. The guilty charges were reportedly in violation of the Mann Act.
However, Combs’ camp asserts that the sentence is about four times higher than what’s typical for Mann Act-related infractions. With this new batch of documents, the rapper’s lawyers also doubled down on their belief that Judge Arun Subramanian – who presided over the trial and sentencing – took part in “acquitted conduct” sentencing. TMZ describes this as the method of escalating a punishment on the basis of rejected allegations. Overall, the lawyers argue that Subramanian acted as a “thirteenth juror.”
The filing from prosecutors last month was made in an effort to affirm Judge Subramanian’s ruling. It was their position that the judge was correct in the way he proceeded to reach a verdict and for considering how Diddy allegedly treated his sexual partners over the years. Prosecutors – who initially wanted an even longer sentence for the “Victory” performer – also argued against claims from Diddy’s lawyers that he was not in violation of the Mann Act and that his actions were reportedly protected by the First Amendment.
Said protection argument was brought up again in the last filing from Combs’ team. The crux of that logic is their reported belief that Combs only participated in voyeurism – or the act of watching sexual acts. This pertains to the mogul’s reported Freak Offs and Wild King Nights, which he reportedly ensured were recorded.
As both sides continue to make arguments in this case, Diddy himself remains behind bars at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he was transferred to last fall. The Sean John founder has reportedly been settling into his new life at the facility over the past couple of months. At the same time, he’s also said to be participating in the penitentiary's Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (or RDAP), which is for inmates dealing with substance-related issues. Participation in the program also presents the opportunity for residents to reduce their time in prison.
Simultaneously, these last few months have seen Sean Combs’ lawyers take steps to make progress in the appeal process. In February, the case took a step forward when a hearing was scheduled for April 9 for oral arguments to be heard. During that hearing, Combs’ team and prosecutors will each have 10 minutes to present their respective cases.
Diddy’s camp is making it clear right now, though, that they believe Judge Subramanian’s ruling to be unjust. And, with this latest filing, the lawyers are requesting Combs’ “immediate release and grant a judgment of acquittal or at least vacate and remand for resentencing.”
