The music mogul formerly known as Puffy is fighting to overturn his 50-month prison sentence, with his legal team labelling the current term a “perversion of justice,” per hiphopdx.com. In an appeal filed on Friday, March 13, lawyers for the Bad Boy Records founder argued that his four-year stint is excessively harsh given the specific charges for which he was convicted.
Last year, the 56-year-old was sentenced to 50 months behind bars after a jury found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
However, he was acquitted of more serious allegations involving sex trafficking and racketeering. His legal representatives are now urging the court to either grant an immediate judgment of acquittal or vacate the current term for resentencing.
The appeal accuses Judge Arun Subramanian of engaging in “acquitted conduct” sentencing. This controversial legal practice allows a judge to impose a stiffer penalty based on allegations that a jury has already rejected. Diddy’s team, who originally lobbied for a 14-month sentence, pointed out that his current term is nearly four times the typical length for Mann Act violations. They argue that the mogul is effectively being punished for crimes the jury decided he did not commit.
Currently held at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, a low-security facility, the mogul has had a mixed experience behind bars. While early photos showed him in seemingly good spirits, reports surfaced last year that he was disciplined for possessing “hooch,” a type of illicit homemade alcohol.
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is set to review the case next month, with oral arguments scheduled for April 9. Unless the appeal is successful, the Federal Bureau of Prisons lists his official release date as April 25, 2028.
