Overview
- The three-judge panel, which heard arguments Thursday in New York, took the case under advisement with no ruling.
- Defense lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said the judge raised the punishment by relying on conduct tied to charges the jury rejected, and she called the 50-month term unusually high for this offense under the Mann Act, a federal law on transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
- Prosecutor Christy Slavik argued the sentencing judge lawfully considered overlapping evidence and said the prison term fits comparable cases in the district.
- The decision could take months to about a year, and a defense win could send the case back for a new sentencing that may reduce prison time.
- Combs was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of coercing women into prostitution and acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering, received his sentence in October 2025, and remains at FCI Fort Dix with a Bureau of Prisons release date of April 15, 2028.