New Jersey (US)

Rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has filed an appeal requesting the immediate release from his 50-month prison sentence, which he claims was excessively harsh in his federal trial.

The 84-page appeal, submitted on December 24, 2025, challenges the court's decision and argues that the sentence handed down by Judge Aran Subramanian was beyond the typical range for similar offences, according to Variety.

Combs' attorney, Alexandra AE Shapiro, argues that the 50-month sentence was unfair, asserting that Judge Subramanian effectively acted as the "thirteenth juror", defying the jury's verdict and imposing a harsher punishment.

The appeal criticises the judge for claiming that Combs coerced, exploited, and forced his former girlfriends into sex, which contradicts the jury's decision. It also highlights that defendants in similar cases typically face sentences of less than 15 months, even when coercion is involved, which was not established in Combs' case.

Combs, who was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. At his sentencing in October 2025, Judge Subramanian referenced a 2016 incident in which Combs attacked his former girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, saying that the defendant's violence against women would be a significant factor in his sentence. "The same power you used to hurt women, you can use to help them," Subramanian remarked, according to Variety.

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In his appeal, Combs contends that his actions and filming of sexual encounters should be protected by the First Amendment, a position previously rejected by Judge Subramanian.

Combs is currently serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, with a projected release date in May 2028, according to Variety.