Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs have asked a US appeals court to overturn his four-year prison sentence, arguing the judge improperly relied on allegations tied to charges he was cleared of.
Combs, 56, was sentenced in October to four years and two months after being convicted on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
However, a jury acquitted him of more serious accusations, including sex trafficking and racketeering.
During a hearing in Manhattan, defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro told a three-judge panel that the sentence was excessive and based in part on conduct linked to charges for which Combs was found not guilty.
She argued that the trial judge should not have factored in claims that he threatened former partner Casandra Ventura and another woman, as those allegations were tied to the dismissed counts.
Prosecutors pushed back, maintaining that some of the disputed evidence was directly relevant to the offences for which Combs was convicted. They cited incidents they said demonstrated coercion connected to the travel arrangements central to the case.
At the end of the hearing, Circuit Judge William J. Nardini described the matter as an “exceptionally difficult case,” noting it raises unprecedented legal questions not just for the court but for the wider federal judiciary.
Defence lawyer Alexandra Shapiro urged the panel to deliver a swift ruling.
Combs, who did not attend the hearing, is currently being held at a low-security federal prison in New Jersey and is expected to be released in 2028. He is also separately appealing his conviction.
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