Appeals Court Weighing Length Of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentence

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The Sean “Diddy” Combs legal saga continued on Thursday as an appeals court heard arguments from his defense team that he received an overly harsh sentence.

According to AP News, the core argument presented by Combs’ defense team is that Judge Arun Subramanian unjustly considered charges that Combs was acquitted of when determining the sentence. Alexandra Shapiro, Combs’s lawyer, argued that the music producer received the longest sentence ever given to someone convicted of the same charges and had the same criminal history. She asked the panel of circuit court judges to either release Combs or order Subramanian to reduce his sentence “to ensure that not guilty really means not guilty.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik pushed back against Shapiro’s assessment, arguing that Combs’ sentence of four years and two months was actually below federal sentencing guidelines and fell in line with similar convictions in the 2nd circuit court. 

Slavik brought up an incident between Combs and his former partner, Cassie Ventura, where he threatened to release explicit videos of her unless she agreed to a “freak off,” which is what Diddy would call his drug-fueled sex parties. “It’s what he’s asking for. The threats are not followed by a request to go to dinner, a request to ask Cassie to do the dishes. Those threats are followed by a demand for a freak off.”

The questions asked by the judges don’t provide clear insight into which argument they found more compelling.

“We have two women who were plied with drugs to participate in this, one of whom became an opioid addict, so doesn’t that support the reasonableness of this?” Judge M. Miller Baker asked, according to ABC News.

Baker did have concerns that the behavior Combs was acquitted of played a role in his sentencing. “The Mann Act was just a sideshow,” Baker said, referring to the two counts of conviction. “Now you want us to rely on all this acquitted conduct?”

Combs has been incarcerated since September 2024. Last July, he was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could’ve resulted in a potential life sentence. 

During the sentencing process, Judge Subramanian said, “Mr. Combs, you’re being sentenced for the offenses of conviction, NOT the crimes he was acquitted of. However, under law, the court ‘shall consider’ the nature of the offense and characteristics of the defendant.

“The court is not assured that if released, these crimes would not be committed again,” Subramanian explained. He added that a lengthy sentence was necessary “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”

At the end of the hearing, Circuit Judge William J. Nardini called it an “exceptionally difficult case” that raises questions of first impression “not only for this court but for any federal court in the country.”

The panel of judges did not immediately rule after arguments concluded on Thursday. Should the appeals court rule in favor of the prosecution, Combs will be released from prison in April 2028. 

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Sean Combs Acquitted Of Most Serious Charges