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Sean Combs made it official on Monday (October 20), filing a two-page notice of appeal confirming he plans to challenge both his conviction on two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution and his 50-month prison sentence.
The form, obtained by ROLLING STONE, names Alexandra AE Shapiro as Combs’ appellate attorney and was filed in Manhattan federal court after Shapiro announced a legal challenge on the day Combs was sentenced on Oct. 3.
More detailed briefs outlining Combs’ arguments for overturning his conviction and sentence are expected to be filed in the coming weeks with the Second District Court of Appeal, where the case will be heard by a three-judge panel.
This is how the trial against Sean Combs went down
Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest last year. The Bad Boy Records founder, who built a billion-dollar fortune through his music, media and beverage businesses, was convicted July 2 of two violations of the century-old Mann Act. The jury acquitted Combs of the three most serious charges: criminal conspiracy and the alleged sex trafficking of Ventura and Jane.
During Combs’ seven-week trial, his ex-girlfriends Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane testified before jurors that they often felt forced to rub themselves with baby oil and have sex with male companions while Combs choreographed their moves, masturbated and often made videos of them. They said the extended sex marathons were referred to as “freak-offs” and hotel nights. Ventura testified that Combs regularly beat her, kicked her in the face, threw her to the ground and threatened to release her sex videos if she didn’t do what he wanted.
Although Combs’ defense argued that his acquittals on the most serious charges prevented the court from considering the women’s allegations of coercion, Judge Arun Subramanian said the women’s allegations of violence and exploitation were significant factors in imposing a sentence of four years and two months. (Combs’ defense had asked for no more than 14 months.)
“The evidence of abuse associated with freak-offs and hotel stays is overwhelming. I sat here as Ms. Ventura and Jane testified. We read about it in text messages and emails. We saw it in the images of cuts, bruises and broken doors, and we saw the video of you brutally beating Ms. Ventura,” the judge said, addressing Combs directly. “This was submission, and it drove both Ms. Ventura and Jane to suicidal thoughts. That is the reality of what happened.”
Multi-day “Freak-Offs”
Ahead of the sentencing, Ventura submitted a shocking letter to the court demanding a harsh sentence. “Sean Combs used violence, threats, drugs and control over my career to abuse me for over a decade. He made me repeatedly perform sexual acts with hired male sex workers during multi-day ‘freak-offs’ that occurred almost weekly,” Ventura wrote in her victim impact statement.
“I was forced to wear lingerie and high heels, told exactly how I should look, and pumped up with drugs and alcohol so he could control me like a puppet. These events were degrading and disgusting, leaving me with infections, illnesses, and days of physical and emotional exhaustion before he demanded it all of me again. Sexual acts became my full-time job and were the only way to stay in his good graces.”
Before he was sentenced, Combs also addressed the court and said he was sorry. “I would like to once again personally apologize to Cassie Ventura for any harm or pain I may have caused her emotionally or physically,” he said after asking for a minute to compose himself, appearing nervous. “I’ve lost myself in my excess. I’ve lost myself in my ego. … I’ve become humbled and shaken to the core. I hate myself right now. I’m completely devastated. I’m truly, truly sorry, no matter what they say.”
Looking to his six adult children and his 84-year-old mother Janice, an emotional Combs apologized again. “I failed as a father, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I failed you as a son. I’m sorry. You taught me better. You raised me better.”