U.S. rapper Sean Combs, known as Diddy, invoked freedom of expression Thursday to appeal his conviction and claimed that the purpose of his ‘freak-off’ parties, similar to sex marathons, was to record amateur pornography.
The 56-year-old entertainer is serving a sentence of more than four years in prison after being convicted in 2025 of two counts of transportation for prostitution, and his lawyers made unexpected arguments before an appeals court in New York in an attempt to free him.
Diddy’s defense argued that the ‘freak-off’ parties “were highly choreographed sexual performances involving the use of costumes, role-playing and stage lighting, which were taped so that Combs and his girlfriends could later view this amateur pornography,” as quoted by Page Six.
The lawyers explained that “pornographic production and viewing is protected by the First Amendment and therefore cannot be constitutionally prosecuted,” it adds.
Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records and the driving force behind the careers of musicians such as The Notorious BIG and Danity Kane, was convicted under the Mann Act, a federal rule that prohibits the interstate transportation of persons to commit sex crimes.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appeals for freedom of expression
Prosecutors opposed the appeal noting that the rapper “hired and transported sex workers” and that, if granted, “any defendant who transported others to commit prostitution could dodge liability by simply watching or recording sex,” CNN reports.
Diddy’s attorneys further charged that the 50-month sentence was the highest sentence received by a defendant under the Mann Act in similar circumstances.
According to Page Six, the three-judge panel presiding over the session did not lean either way and one judge said he was “lost” during the defense arguments. There is no clear deadline for the court to rule on the matter.
It is also unclear whether the rapper was present at the session.
The music producer and businessman was exonerated of the most serious crimes he faced, sex trafficking and racketeering, after a two-month trial in 2025.
Prosecutors accused Diddy of forcing his now ex-girlfriends to have marathon encounters with male sex workers that usually included drug use, such as ecstasy or ketamine, and could last for days, reported Agencia EFE.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
