Diddy's conviction is racist, says rapper's lawyer
In a legal filing seeking that the 55-year-old be released on bail while awaiting sentencing, his attorneys argued the 1910 Mann Act, under which he was convicted, was 'rich with both racism and misogyny'.
They also said while Combs had been found guilty of two prostitution related charges, he had not profited financially from those acts.
'Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct,' said his lawyer Marc Agnifilo.
Making use of a slang term used for men who pay prostitutes, he added: 'In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of John.'
He said that, historically, the Act has been used to prosecute pimps and those who profit from prostitution.
Prior to the trial, Combs's lawyers argued the same law was used in 1913 to convict Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, of transporting a white woman across state lines.
Johnson died in 1946 and was granted a posthumous pardon by President Donald Trump in 2018.
After a trial in New York City that spread over six weeks and which heard testimony from a number of witnesses, including his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, the celebrated music mogul was found not guilty of three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, which carried potential life sentences.
However, he was convicted of two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Each of those counts carries a maximum 10-year sentence, though experts have said they doubt the judge would impose a punishment in the upper limit.
The lawyers asked for the court to release Combs on a $50-million bond ahead of his Oct 3 sentencing.
They also claimed the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn were dangerous.
Even though Combs was cleared of the most serious charges, his conviction marked the fall from grace of someone who was once one of the most influential figures in the music industry.
Prosecutors told the jury that Combs and his associates used physical violence and threats to have two of his former girlfriends take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers.
Sometimes they were termed 'freak-offs'.
Lawyers for the Bad Boy Records founder claimed the women took part willingly.
There was no immediate response from the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which brought the charges. Nicole Westmoreland, one of Combs's lawyers told the New York Times his legal team intended to appeal his conviction.
Similarly, there was no comment from lawyers for the women who testified against him.
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STV News
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The Independent
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