AceShowbiz - Diddy’s legal team made a bold argument in federal court on Wednesday, asserting that his conviction should be overturned because the recordings at the center of his case are protected under the First Amendment.

The hip-hop mogul’s lawyers appeared before a panel of three appellate judges in New York, seeking either a full reversal of his conviction or a substantial reduction in his sentence. Meanwhile, Diddy remains incarcerated at a federal prison in New Jersey and was unable to attend the hearing.

The defense challenged the legitimacy of his Mann Act conviction by contending that the recordings, which captured sexual encounters involving his girlfriends and male sex workers, qualify as amateur pornography protected by the Constitution rather than evidence of criminal prostitution activity.

This legal approach reframes what prosecutors labeled "freak-offs" as a form of expressive conduct deserving constitutional protection. The defense team also argued that the trial judge erred by basing Diddy’s sentencing on allegations of fraud and coercion—claims that the jury did not find to be true.

Prosecutors strongly opposed this defense strategy. According to WRAL, they warned that accepting such an argument could effectively allow brothels to claim First Amendment protection for staged sexual performances, undermining laws against prostitution.

The stakes are significant for Diddy, who was convicted in July 2025 on two counts related to the transportation of individuals to engage in prostitution and sentenced last October to fifty months in prison. Although a jury acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which could have led to a life sentence, the Mann Act convictions still resulted in over four years behind bars.

His case moved quickly through the appeals process, enabling a relatively swift hearing before the appellate court panel. The original trial revealed intimate details of Diddy’s private life, with witnesses testifying about elaborate sexual performances he allegedly organized and recorded.

While the defense acknowledged Diddy’s capacity for violence, they maintained that prosecutors had overstepped by criminalizing his personal relationships and lifestyle choices. The current appeal represents Diddy’s best opportunity to secure freedom before his scheduled release date of April 15, 2028.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has set his release in about two years, but a favorable ruling from the appellate court could potentially alter that timeline and change the course of Diddy’s sentence.