Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Attorneys Argue Freak-Offs Were 'Amateur Pornography' in Hearing to Fight Rapper's Conviction

Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers are trying to overturn his sentence.

According to a new report, the disgraced hip-hop mogul's legal team appeared in court on April 9 for an appeal hearing. Combs, 56, is currently serving a 50-month sentence on prostitution charges at a low-security federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey,

In a previously-filed appeal obtained by CNN, his attorneys stated that Combs' "freak offs" — the bedrock of his conviction — are immaterial under the Mann act, a law that makes it a crime to transport anyone across state lines or borders for prostitution, "debauchery" or "any other immoral purpose."

The rapper's team is arguing that the events were merely "amateur p----graphy" shoots.

"Freak-offs and hotel nights were highly choreographed sexual performances involving the use of costumes, role play, and staged lighting," the legal filing reads. "Which were filmed so Combs and his girlfriends could watch this amateur p----graphy later."

It continued, "P----graphy production and viewing of this sort is protected by the First Amendment and thus cannot constitutionally be prosecuted. In other words, the term 'prostitution' in the Act should be limited to those situations where a paying customer engages in s-- with the person being paid."

Per a 2024 indictment, prosecutors described the freak offs as drug-induced orgies that spanned multiple days in which Combs "used force, threats of force, and coercion" to "cause victims to engage" in sexual acts.

Per CNN, prosecutors slammed Combs’ argument as "meritless," claiming he's "entirely differently situated from adult film distributors."

"He hired and transported commercial s-- workers to have s-- with his girlfriends for his own sexual gratification, sometimes directly participating in the s-- acts," they wrote in a response filed in February.

The prosecution argues that to overturn Combs' conviction would mean "any defendant who transported others to engage in prostitution could escape liability simply by watching or filming the s--.”

Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro also claimed that the 2025 trial judge shouldn't have taken into account the allegations of physical and sexual abuse against him by his ex-girlfriends.

In response, prosecutor Christy Slavik argued that Combs' conduct with his girlfriends was relevant to the prostitution charges.

"According to Combs," Slavik wrote, per NationNews, "The District Court should have closed its eyes to how he carried out his Mann Act offenses and abused his victims."

The rapper is scheduled to be released on April 15, 2028, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records reviewed by E! News.