Diddy's attorneys vow to appeal, accuse judge of 'acting as 13th juror'

(NewsNation) — After being sentenced to more than four years behind bars on prostitution-related convictions, attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs will now be working toward an appeal. 

Combs was sentenced to four years and two months for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. He can appeal his convictions, of course, and his lawyers have said they will. They have 14 days to file notice.

"We are planning to appeal," Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said outside court Friday. "We think we have strong basis to appeal."

"What we feel happened today was that the judge acted as a 13th juror, one we did not choose, and that he second-guessed the jury's verdict," he added.

The judge also issued a $500,000 fine, and ordered Combs to five years of supervised release after he leaves prison.

Combs’ attorneys had already contested his verdict and attempted to overturn his prostitution conviction before Judge Arun Subramanian prior to sentencing.

Subramanian denied Combs’ motions for acquittal and a new trial, saying prosecutors “proved their case many times over.” 

Diddy's team has 14 days to file appeal

In the Southern District of New York, the process begins with a notice of appeal that must be filed within 14 days of the judgement to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Parties then submit written briefs and potentially give oral arguments to further explain legal errors that warrant the appeal. 

Appellate judges then issue a decision, where they maintain the conviction, reverse it or order a new trial. 

The role of the appellate court is to review challenges to lower court decisions to determine whether the proceedings were fair and the law was applied correctly. No new evidence can be considered.

This process won’t be swift for Combs as appeals generally take about a year, according to the Federal Defenders of New York. 

Combs’ attorneys can appeal two things: the conviction itself or the sentence, Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told NewsNation.

“The conviction itself will be tough because there's a lot of evidence that he engaged in prostitution. I know the defense argued that these were homemade pornographic videos, and maybe they'll try to preserve that argument on appeal to the Second Circuit.” 

“They also may appeal the sentence saying that it's unjust,” he said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.