Combs seeks speedy appeals court hearing

NEW YORK — Hip-hop producer Sean "Diddy" Combs wants a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction on prostitution-related charges and his more than four-year prison sentence. His lawyers filed papers with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, asking that oral arguments in his appeal occur in April. The lawyers noted that Combs has already served 14 months of his 50-month sentence and that he may earn reductions in time behind bars because of his participation in a substance abuse treatment program and a program established by the First Step Act to improve an inmate's return to society. Combs wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said. Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life. Apologetic at his sentencing for what he described as his "disgusting, shameful" behavior, the Bad Boy Records founder was sentenced to four years and two months in prison by a judge who praised the courage of the women who testified against him. Combs is scheduled to be released from prison on May 8, 2028, assuming he gets credit for good behavior behind bars. He has been incarcerated since his arrest in September 2024, when he was taken into custody at a Manhattan hotel. In a letter to the judge before he was sentenced, Combs said he has gone through a "spiritual reset" in jail and was "committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person." His lawyers told the judge that Combs' arrest and conviction have destroyed his businesses, forcing the layoffs of more than 100 employees who struggled to find new jobs because of their past association with the music mogul. He also still faces dozens of lawsuits filed against him since his arrest.