US Judge Rejects Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Bid to Overturn Prostitution Conviction

A US judge on Tuesday rejected Sean “Diddy” Combs’ bid to overturn his criminal conviction on felony prostitution-related charges. The hip-hop mogul now faces up to 20 years in prison at his upcoming sentencing. The ruling was issued by US District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan.

 

Jurors found Combs, 55, guilty in July on prostitution charges following a two-month trial, but acquitted him of the more serious counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.

 

Combs was accused of paying male escorts to travel across state lines to have sexual encounters with his girlfriends, while he recorded video of the activity and engaged in masturbation. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges, which could have resulted in a life sentence. Combs is due to be sentenced on October 3.

 

In a July 30  court filing, defence lawyers had urged Judge Subramanian to set aside the verdict, arguing that Combs did not personally take part in sexual activity with the prostitutes or his girlfriends during the prolonged, drug-fuelled events, sometimes referred to as “Freak Offs.” They also claimed the videos Combs recorded were “amateur pornography,” which they argued constituted protected speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

 

Prosecutors from the Manhattan US Attorney’s office countered in a August 20 filing that Combs did not need to participate personally in the sexual acts to be convicted, as he facilitated the male escorts’ travel. They also alleged that Combs used the videos as a form of blackmail, threatening to release them if his girlfriends refused to take part in the encounters.

 

Trial Focused on ‘Freak Offs’

Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, is credited with elevating hip-hop in American culture. He was arrested on sex trafficking charges on 16 September 2024 and has since been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

 

During the trial, prosecutors claimed he coerced two former girlfriends – R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, and a woman identified by the pseudonym Jane – into the sexual performances. Both women testified that Combs physically assaulted them and threatened to cut off financial support if they refused to participate.

 

Combs’ lawyers acknowledged that physical assaults occurred but argued there was no direct link between these incidents and the women’s involvement in the sexual performances. They further claimed that the women consented to the encounters out of love for Combs and a desire to please him.

 

 

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