Breaking News: Judge grants Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ request for expedited…see more

Breaking News: Judge grants Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ request for expedited appeals schedule

By Adam Reiss and Daniel Arkin
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request for a speedy appeals process was granted by a judge Monday, four days after he was transferred to a federal prison in New Jersey to begin serving a 50-month sentence on two interstate prostitution convictions.

U.S. Circuit Court Judge Beth Robinson approved Combs’ ask in a two-paragraph order. Combs’ lawyers are hoping to curtail the length of the fallen hip-hop mogul’s time behind bars.

Robinson, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York, outlined a prospective appeals schedule. She said Combs’ brief is due by Dec. 23, the U.S. government’s brief is due by Feb. 20 and Combs’ team’s reply is due by March 13.

If that timeline holds, oral arguments will take place as early as April, according to the judge’s order.

Combs was convicted this summer on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, also known as the Mann Act. He was acquitted on more serious charges: a count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.

U.S. government prosecutors had accused Combs of orchestrating a sprawling “criminal enterprise” and forcing women to participate in marathon, drug-fueled sexual encounters known as “freak offs.” He pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.

In a filing last week, defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro said “Sean’s appeal will challenge the unfair use of the Mann Act, an infamous statute with a sordid history, to prosecute him for sex with consenting adults.”

Combs was transferred to the federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on Thursday. The prison is a large, low-security federal complex for men located in New Hanover Township, and it houses roughly 4,000 inmates.

The rapper is currently set to be released May 8, 2028, but he could be let out earlier for good behavior or completing certain programs in prison. He has already spent 14 months behind bars following his arrest in September 2024.