Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Lawyers Claim Feds Twisted Prostitution Definition in Criminal Case

Sean "Diddy" Combs is pushing back against his conviction under the Mann Act, arguing that federal prosecutors used the wrong definition of prostitution to convict him.

His legal team is now asking the judge to overturn the decision or grant him a new trial.

In new court filings obtained this week, Combs' attorneys claim that prosecutors relied on the modern-day meaning of "prostitution" rather than the definition used when the Mann Act was passed in 1910, TMZ reported.

The law, originally known as the White Slave Traffic Act, was created to stop the transport of women for "immoral purposes."

According to Diddy's legal team, the word "prostitution" in 1910 meant something much broader than it does today.

"A prostitute was a woman who had sex outside of marriage," the filing states. Prosecutors, they argue, used the current understanding — sex for money — which doesn't match the intent of the original law.

Diddy Seeks New Trial After Mann Act Conviction

Combs was acquitted in July of more serious charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking, but the jury found him guilty on two lesser counts of transporting individuals for prostitution purposes under the Mann Act. He is due to be sentenced on October 3.

Diddy's lawyers also say there was no real evidence that he paid escorts to sleep with his girlfriends.

Instead, they claim, the men were paid simply for spending time with them. According to BusinessTimes, Combs has maintained he was only a voyeur — someone who watched but didn't participate — and that his behavior was legal.

"The court should grant an acquittal or, at the very least, order a new trial," his lawyers wrote.

Outside the courtroom, former associates of Combs have spoken publicly about his past conduct.

Aubrey O'Day, a singer from the Bad Boy group Danity Kane, told sources she lived in fear for years after working with him.

"I've been warning everyone for about twenty years now that this is not a safe person to work with," she said, claiming she once kept a butcher knife nearby for protection.

O'Day also mentioned seeing "unmarked cars" outside her home after speaking out about Combs, adding, "Clearly, there were things moving and shaking on all sides."

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