Diddy's legal team has filed a motion requesting a retrial in the Bad Boy mogul's recent criminal trial after a jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. They filed the request on Wednesday, just over a month ahead of his sentencing date.
"Mr. Combs, at most, paid to engage in voyeurism as part of a 'swingers' lifestyle. That does not constitute 'prostitution' under a properly limited definition of the statutory term," Diddy's legal team writes in the filing, as caught by USA Today.
They continue: "The proof at trial showed that he typically hired the services of male escorts or dancers advertised openly through lawful businesses, that the men were paid for their time, and that they enjoyed the activities and had friendships with Ms. Ventura and Jane and were not merely traveling to have sex for money."
Despite the guilty verdicts on the charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, the jury also decided not to convict him on the more serious alleged offenses of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Diddy $50 Million Bail Package
The request for a retrial comes after Diddy's team submitted yet another bond proposal, earlier this week. This time around, they offered $50 million in addition to supervision from the U.S. Pretrial Services Agency and the surrendering of his passport.
“In the history of the statute, the Mann Act has never been applied to facts similar to these to prosecute or incarcerate any other person," the proposal read, as caught by The New York Times. They also argued that the Mann Act has a history “rich with both racism and misogyny."
For two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, Diddy faces up to 20 years in prison. The prosecution has only recommended a 4-year sentence, however. He'll appear in court again for his sentencing hearing on October 3rd.
