Diddy’s much-discussed argument that he acted as a mere “amateur pornographer” has been roundly disputed by prosecutors ahead of a key appeal hearing set for April.
In court documents dated Feb. 20 and viewed by Complex, prosecutors take aim at a slew of points raised by Diddy’s legal team. The word “meritless,” notably, appears nine times in prosecutors’ formal response.
As you’ll recall, Diddy, currently serving out a 50-month sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey, was convicted of two Mann Act violations in July of last year. He’s expected to be released in 2028 unless his current appeal effort is successful.
As for Diddy’s claim that his Mann Act convictions “run afoul” of First Amendment protections, an argument his legal team bolstered with a characterization of the Bad Boy Records founder as a “consumer and producer” of amateur porn, prosecutors vehemently disagree.
“[Diddy’s] convictions do not raise any concern under the First Amendment,” they wrote in their recent filing, later adding that Diddy’s argument “hinges on his depiction of himself as an ‘amateur pornographer.’”
While Diddy’s legal team cited past First Amendment cases in support of this argument, prosecutors have instead argued that such cases, though related to pornography, are not similar to his own.
“[U]nlike any adult film producer, Combs did not provide advance notice that he would film, or seek the participants’ consent to be filmed,” reads the Feb. 20-dated filing.
Elsewhere, prosecutors assert that Diddy’s broader claim that his handling in the legal system was “unjust” is incorrect.
“According to [Diddy], the District Court should have closed its eyes to how he carried out his Mann Act offenses and abused his victims—violently beating them, threatening them, lying to them, and plying them with drugs,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors, along with Diddy’s legal team, will make their arguments in person in front of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on April 9. Each side will have only ten minutes to make their points.
Diddy was recently made the subject of a fresh round of mockery from longtime rival 50 Cent, an executive producer on Netflix’s hit docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning. In a social media-focused campaign for the food delivery service DoorDash, Fif tucked in several swiftly headlined jokes at Diddy’s expense.
The Reckoning itself was met by condemnation from Diddy’s reps for multiple reasons, including because of its association with Fif, whom they deemed “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta.”
