Diddy files appeal to overturn conviction and 4-year prison sentence

Sean Diddy Combs has officially launched a bid to overturn his conviction and four-year prison sentence filing a notice of appeal to the Federal District Court in New York on Monday The move sends the rapper and music mogul s matter to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit which reviews major federal cases from New York and beyond A jury in July uncovered Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution ending an eight-week trial that included testimony from prosecution spectators He was acquitted of the more serious racketeering and sex-trafficking charges On Oct Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a -month sentence a fine the maximum permitted and five years of supervised release Related I m coming home baby Diddy celebrates prays in courtroom following verdict This appeal notice doesn t detail Combs legal strategy more comprehensive papers from the defense are expected soon but his lawyers have made their playbook clear The defense previously argued that the Mann Act the law under which Combs was convicted should not have applied to his circumstance The statute originally known as the White-Slave Traffic Act was historically used to target interracial relationships a legacy the defense described as an embarrassment to the United States of America during a post-trial hearing The defense is also expected to revive its earlier argument that Combs recordings of his so-called freak-offs fall under First Amendment protections for amateur pornography Judge Subramanian dismissed this claim when he denied Combs a new trial The appeal could take months or longer and Combs is expected to serve much of his sentence while the Second Circuit reviews the occurrence He remains at Brooklyn s Metropolitan Detention Center where he has already been credited for approximately a year served Combs attorneys communicated NBC News they have been seeking a pardon for him TMZ revealed that Donald Trump was vacillating on a commutation though a White House official refuted the claim The President not anonymous sources is the final decider on pardons and commutations The White House Communications Office is saying our story is not true responded TMZ We stand by our story Our story is accurate Trump addressed the subject himself during an Aug interview with Newsmax I was very friendly with him I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy I didn t know him well Trump stated adding that Combs had been very hostile when he ran for office When pressed on whether he intended to deny Combs a pardon Trump disclosed I would say so Read more about this topic The Fall of Diddy chronicles decades worth of failures to hold a powerful monster accountable He was so angry Cassie details abuse from Sean Diddy Combs during sex trafficking trial You can t silence people Diddy The Making of a Bad Boy producer unravels accusations The post Diddy files appeal to overturn conviction and -year prison sentence appeared first on Salon com