Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s legal saga is far from over. Less than a month after being sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison for two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution, the hip-hop mogul and business icon is mounting a fierce fight to reopen his case and accelerate the appeal process.
Through his attorneys, Combs has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to both revisit aspects of his conviction and expedite the timeline for his appeal hearings.
The motion, filed in late October, asks the court to ‘reopen’ the case on procedural and statutory grounds, arguing that the law used to convict him—the Mann Act—was misapplied in ways that violated his constitutional rights.
The Mann Act, a century-old statute originally designed to combat human trafficking across state lines, has long been controversial for its broad language.
Diddy’s lawyers argue that federal prosecutors stretched its limits to criminalize consensual adult behavior and private conduct, painting him as a trafficker despite what they claim was insufficient evidence of coercion or exploitation.
In court filings’, Combs’s legal team said, “The application of the Mann Act in this case deviates from both legislative intent and precedent. What was once intended to address exploitation is now being weaponized against consensual conduct.”
Beyond the legal principles at stake, time itself has become one of Diddy’s biggest adversaries.
Having already spent over a year in custody since his arrest in September 2024, Combs’s team argues that without an expedited appeal, any potential victory could be meaningless by the time it is decided.
“Mr. Combs is already serving his sentence. If this appeal follows the typical timeline, it is entirely possible that he will have completed most of his prison term before the Court issues a decision,” his attorneys stated in their motion. “Justice delayed in this case would be justice denied.”
Under standard federal appellate procedures, it can take over a year for a case to move through full briefing, response, and oral arguments. To counter this, the defense has proposed a condensed schedule: opening briefs by December 23, 2025, the government’s response by February 20, 2026, and a reply brief by March 13, paving the way for oral arguments as early as April 2026.
If approved, this would be one of the fastest appellate reviews of a federal conviction in recent memory.
For now, Sean Combs remains in federal custody, serving his sentence as his legal team prepares its next move. His projected release date—May 8, 2028—remains unchanged, but his attorneys are betting that a faster appellate process could shift that timeline dramatically.