Diddy’s attorneys file new motion for release
In new court filings, the rap star’s lawyers said he would post a $50 million bond after his conviction on prostitution charges.
Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs have filed a new motion asking a federal judge to release the rap mogul on bond as he awaits sentencing in October, the New York Times reports. Diddy was convicted on July 2 of transportation to engage in prostitution and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years; he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, charges that could have carried a life sentence.
In their filing, Diddy's attorneys argue that Combs' case stretches the limits of the Mann Act, the laws that Combs was convicted under. “In the history of the statute,” they write, “the Mann Act has never been applied to facts similar to these to prosecute or incarcerate any other person.” Combs and his attorneys intend to appeal the convictions, claiming the law has racist roots and that the women involved in the notorious sex parties known as "freak offs" had not been coerced, and participated consensually.
The motion asks for Diddy to be released on $50 million bond. However, Judge Arun Subramanian expressed deep scepticism to releasing Diddy on bond after his conviction, when he said he would post a $1 million bond. The defence's admission that Diddy had physically abused his victims, the judge said, prohibited the court from reasonably concluding that he was not a danger to the community.
Outside of his federal charges, Diddy has faced numerous civil suits from different accusers who alleging rape, sex trafficking, and more.