Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are locked in a fierce legal battle following the music mogul’s conviction on two prostitution-related charges under the Mann Act. The ongoing dispute, which has captured national attention, centers on whether Combs’ July 2025 convictions should stand, or if he deserves a new trial—or even outright acquittal. With sentencing set for October 3, 2025, the stakes are high for Combs, whose legal team argues that the law has been misapplied and the evidence against him is insufficient.
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records and a major figure in the music industry, was acquitted in July 2025 of the most serious charges he faced: racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Those charges, had he been convicted, could have resulted in a mandatory 15 years to life in prison. But the jury found him guilty of two lesser counts under the Mann Act, a federal law that prohibits the use of interstate commerce for prostitution or certain kinds of sexual activity. Each of those counts carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years behind bars, according to prosecutors cited by the Associated Press.
The case against Combs is built on a series of events stretching from 2008 to 2024. Prosecutors allege that Combs orchestrated elaborate sexual encounters for two of his ex-girlfriends, hiring male sex workers who sometimes had to cross multiple state lines to participate. These events, dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights,” allegedly involved drug-fueled sexual marathons. Prosecutors say Combs not only masterminded these gatherings but also directed the sexual activity that took place, often for his own gratification—and sometimes joined in himself.
Key testimony during the trial came from Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, an R&B singer who dated Combs from 2008 through 2018, and another woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” According to the Associated Press, Ventura described being required to participate in “hundreds of freak-offs,” sometimes as often as every week. She testified that these encounters left her too exhausted to focus on her music career. Jane, who dated Combs from 2021 to September 2024, told the court that she was required to take part in “hotel nights” that sometimes lasted several days and that she was expected to have sex with male sex workers—even when she was unwell.
Both women claimed that Combs exerted substantial control over their lives, using video recordings of the sexual encounters as leverage. Prosecutors wrote, “During these relationships, he asserted substantial control over Ventura and Jane’s lives. Specifically, he controlled and threatened Ventura’s career, controlled her appearance, and paid for most of her living expenses, taking away physical items when she did not do what he wanted.” They further alleged that Combs “paid Jane’s $10,000 rent and threatened her that he would stop paying her rent if she did not comply with his demands.”
Prosecutors have been adamant that the evidence supporting Combs’ conviction was overwhelming. In court filings, they stated, “Evidence of the defendant’s guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming.” They argued that Combs “masterminded every aspect” of the sexual meetups, paying escorts to travel across the country, and using the resulting videos to threaten and coerce continued participation. “He transported escorts across state lines to engage in freak-offs for pay. He directed the sexual activity of escorts and victims throughout freak-offs for his own sexual gratification. And he personally engaged in sexual activity during freak-offs,” prosecutors wrote, as reported by Digital Music News.
Combs has been in federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest at a Manhattan hotel in September 2024. Despite his lawyers’ arguments that he should face little or no additional jail time, he has been denied bail. Prosecutors insist that he must serve multiple years behind bars, and the final decision now rests with the judge overseeing his case.
On the other side, Combs’ legal team has mounted a vigorous defense, arguing that the Mann Act was too broadly interpreted and that their client’s conduct does not fit the statute’s intended scope. In their request for acquittal or a new trial, filed in late July 2025, his attorneys contended that “none of the elements normally used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed.” They further argued, “It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults. The men chose to travel and engage in the activity voluntarily. The verdict confirms the women were not vulnerable or exploited or trafficked or sexually assaulted.”
Combs’ attorneys also claimed that the sexual encounters in question were part of a consensual “swingers’ lifestyle,” and that his role was that of a voyeur—not a trafficker or pimp. “At most, [Combs] paid to engage in voyeurism as part of a ‘swingers’ lifestyle,” they wrote, arguing that this “does not constitute ‘prostitution’ under a properly limited definition of the statutory term.” They also asserted that the so-called “freak-offs” were protected First Amendment activity, since they involved consensual adult sexual expression.
The defense further argued that much of the evidence introduced at trial would have been inadmissible if Combs had only been tried under the Mann Act. They suggested that “spillover prejudice” from the more serious charges—on which he was acquitted—may have influenced the jury’s verdict on the lesser counts. In their view, the case against Combs was “lacking” in evidence specific to the Mann Act violations.
Prosecutors, however, dismissed these arguments. In their most recent filing, they insisted that the law “doesn’t distinguish between voyeurism and profit,” and emphasized that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the government, was more than sufficient to support the jury’s verdict. “There was more than a sufficient basis, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, to support the counts of conviction,” prosecutors wrote, according to Digital Music News.
The Mann Act, originally enacted in 1910 and amended several times since, makes it a federal crime to knowingly transport any individual in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution or other sexual activity that is a criminal offense. While the law has a long and controversial history—sometimes criticized for its broad language and potential for misuse—federal prosecutors maintain that it squarely applies to Combs’ conduct as described at trial.
With sentencing scheduled for October 3, 2025, the outcome of Combs’ latest legal maneuvering remains uncertain. The judge’s decision on whether to grant a new trial or uphold the convictions will have significant implications—not only for Combs, but also for how federal law is applied in cases involving consensual adult sexual activity, commercial motives, and the limits of personal freedom.
For now, Combs remains behind bars, awaiting a ruling that could shape the next chapter of his storied—and now deeply controversial—career.
