Diddy is fighting like hell to overturn his 50-month federal prison sentence, but now prosecutors are pushing back to keep the disgraced mogul locked up in prison.
Federal lawyers just filed a sharp response to the music mogul’s appeal this week, defending his July 2025 conviction on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution under the Mann Act.
The government argues that Diddy’s sentence was properly calculated and that he should serve his full term at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey.
The 55-year-old Hip-Hop mogul beat more serious racketeering and sex trafficking charges during his eight-week trial, but the Mann Act convictions stuck.
Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to 50 months in prison plus five years of supervised release in October 2025, along with a $500,000 fine.
Diddy’s legal team previously filed an expedited appeal request, which the court granted, arguing that his sentence could be completed before the appeals process would under a normal timeline.
Diddy argued that the judge acted like a “13th juror” by relying on conduct tied to charges for which he was acquitted in determining his sentence.
His lawyers also claim Diddy was more like an amateur adult film producer than someone engaged in prostitution-related activities. Prosecutors are having none of that defense strategy.
In their appellate brief, federal lawyers pointed to testimony showing that threats were directly connected to interstate travel for sexual encounters.
They detailed how Diddy allegedly threatened Cassie Ventura during a transatlantic flight from France to New York, saying he would release intimate videos, then immediately demanded she participate in what prosecutors called “Freak Offs” upon landing.
The government also described similar pressure tactics used against another woman identified as Jane, who repeatedly told Diddy she wanted to stop participating in what prosecutors termed “Hotel Nights.”
According to court documents, Diddy threatened her with losing her home before arranging for an escort to travel from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
“In both cases, Diddy’s threats occurred during or immediately preceding the act of transportation and helped establish his intent that the victim would engage in prostitution,” prosecutors wrote in their filing.
Federal lawyers took direct aim at his “adult film producer” defense, noting that, unlike legitimate producers, Diddy did not provide advance notice of filming or seek participants’ consent to be recorded.
One escort testified that Diddy filmed encounters only once or twice, and witnesses described feeling “humiliated” and “degrading” when he kept videos without permission.
Prosecutors also emphasized that Diddy was not merely observing these encounters but actively participating and masturbating, which they argue shows the purpose was his “immediate sexual gratification” rather than any legitimate business venture.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has scheduled oral arguments for April 9, 2026, at 10 A.M. at 40 Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. Each side will have exactly 10 minutes to present its arguments before a panel of appellate judges.
The appeal represents one of Diddy’s final opportunities to challenge either his conviction or sentence through the federal court system. The appellate judges could affirm the conviction, reverse it, or remand the case to the lower court for further proceedings.
Related
