Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team has filed a fresh appeal with a federal appeals court in New York seeking to overturn his conviction or secure his immediate release from prison as part of an expedited legal challenge. The filing, lodged late Tuesday and reported across multiple outlets, contends that the 50-month sentence imposed in October was unjust and improperly influenced by conduct for which a jury previously acquitted him.

Combs, 56, was convicted under the Mann Act for transporting individuals for prostitution but was found not guilty in July on more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. His lawyers argue that Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, “acted as a thirteenth juror” by allowing evidence related to those acquitted charges to factor into his hefty prison term — a sentence his attorneys describe as “draconian” and significantly harsher than typical penalties for similar offenses.

In court documents, lead counsel Alexandra Shapiro criticised the sentencing judge for adopting a narrative of coercion and exploitation that was not supported by the jury’s verdict, asserting that the judge’s remarks about Combs’ conduct effectively supplanted the jury’s findings. The appeal calls on the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to either vacate the convictions and order Combs’s release or, alternatively, to remand the case for resentencing limited strictly to the charges of which he was convicted.

The appeal also highlights that defendants convicted on comparable prostitution-related offenses typically receive substantially shorter sentences, often under 15 months, even when allegations of coercion are included — a discrepancy Combs’ legal team says underscores the excessive nature of his punishment. Oral arguments before the appellate court have not yet been scheduled, and the U.S. government is expected to respond to the appeal filings in the coming months.

Combs is currently serving his sentence at a federal facility in New Jersey and, absent a successful appeal, is scheduled for release in 2028. The case continues to attract widespread attention due to the high-profile nature of the accusations and the unusual legal arguments being advanced on appeal.