Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted in July of last year for two prostitution-related offenses. According to multiple reports, he is attempting to get his conviction overturned and be released from prison through an appeal. S.
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York on Thursday that his conviction should be overturned or he should be resentenced to less time. In the appeal, Combs's defense team claims the 'freak-off' tapes show amateur pornography and voyeurism protected by the First Amendment, not prostitution. According to the defense, the tapes involved highly choreographed sexual performances that were filmed for later viewing as amateur pornography, which they argue is protected by the First Amendment.
Prosecutors counter that Combs hired and transported commercial sex workers to have sex with his girlfriends for his own sexual gratification. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was not present at the appeals court hearing on Thursday. The appeals court panel did not make a decision during the two-hour hearing.
Judge William J Nardini called the case exceptionally difficult. Combs is currently being held in federal prison in New Jersey, according to major media reports. The defense's First Amendment argument centers on the claim that the activities depicted in the tapes constitute protected expression rather than criminal prostitution.
Prosecutors maintain that the evidence shows Combs organized and paid for commercial sex acts, which fall outside First Amendment protections. The appeals court is now deliberating on these competing legal interpretations, with no immediate ruling expected.