Sean "Diddy" Combs has filed a legal motion seeking to overturn two prostitution-related convictions under the federal Mann Act. If the motion is denied, his legal team plans to request a new trial limited strictly to those charges.
According to court documents, Combs is asking the court to set aside the convictions and enter an acquittal, arguing that the evidence presented does not meet the legal standards required for a conviction under the Mann Act—which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for sexual activity.
Diddy's attorneys claim he is the only person convicted under the Mann Act who neither profited from prostitution, engaged in sexual activity with the alleged sex workers, nor arranged their transportation. They argue that his involvement was limited to voyeurism—watching or filming consensual sexual acts—which, in multiple state rulings, has not been classified as prostitution.
During the trial, none of the sex workers involved, nor alleged victims such as Cassie Ventura and an anonymous accuser referred to as “Jane,” testified that Diddy had sex with any of the hired escorts. Instead, they stated that he was present merely as an observer or cameraman during the so-called “freak-off” sessions.
Testimony further indicated that it was typically the women—not Diddy—who arranged the travel and accommodations for the escorts. The defense emphasized that the male sex workers involved were consenting adults who reportedly enjoyed the encounters and maintained friendly relationships with the women involved.
Combs also contends that the sexual acts in question were part of what he describes as “amateur pornography” created for private viewing, which he argues is protected under the First Amendment.
His legal team further asserts that, if a new trial is granted, only evidence directly related to the Mann Act charges should be admissible. That would exclude a widely circulated video showing Diddy physically assaulting Cassie Ventura—footage that was introduced during the original trial under broader charges related to RICO violations and sex trafficking, from which he was ultimately acquitted.
Diddy was cleared earlier this month of the most serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but was convicted on two counts of transporting individuals to engage in prostitution. He is currently awaiting sentencing, scheduled for October 3, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
In a new political twist, former President Donald Trump is reportedly “seriously considering” a presidential pardon for Diddy, according to sources quoted by Deadline.
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