NEW YORK — Sean "Diddy" Combs' appeal of his sex-crimes conviction and 50-month federal prison sentence remains pending before a U.S. appeals court, with no ruling issued as of late June, according to court records and Combs' legal team.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral arguments on April 9, 2026, but did not issue an immediate decision, a standard practice for the court. Judge William Nardini described the case at the close of arguments as raising "a question of first impression, not only for this court, but apparently for any federal court of appeals in the country," referring to the legal issue of how sentencing judges may weigh conduct for which a defendant was acquitted.
Combs, 56, was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act, following a seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs in October 2025 to 50 months in prison, a term Combs' attorneys have called excessive given typical sentences of about 15 months for comparable offenses.
Combs' legal team, led by attorney Alexandra Shapiro, has asked the appeals court to acquit him outright, order his immediate release, or send the case back to Subramanian for resentencing. The defense argues the trial judge improperly considered allegations of coercion and abuse tied to the charges on which Combs was acquitted, effectively acting as what his lawyers called a "thirteenth juror." Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik has defended the sentence, telling the appellate panel that Subramanian's analysis relied on "admitted conduct" rather than acquitted allegations, and that any error would be harmless.
Combs remains incarcerated at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix in New Jersey. His projected release date, as listed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has been revised multiple times this year and stood at Feb. 23, 2028, as of mid-June, down from an original June 2028 projection. The agency has not publicly detailed the reasons for the adjustments, though legal analysts have pointed to sentence credits and completion of rehabilitation programming as likely factors.
The Second Circuit has not indicated when it will rule. A decision in Combs' favor could result in a reduced sentence, a new sentencing hearing, or reversal of his conviction; a ruling against him would leave the current sentence in place.
