Diddy says the judge punished him for charges that the jury rejected and demands his immediate release

Diddy said a federal appeals court that his prison sentence was influenced by charges that a jury had already rejected, demonstrating his desire for release sooner rather than later.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan received an appeal late Tuesday from the rap mogul’s lawyers, who asked the court to reverse his conviction for prostitution, grant him immediate freedom, or remand the case for a reduced term, according to the Associated Press. According to the complaint, the penalty imposed was significantly harsher than what the jury found justified.

Diddy, 56, is incarcerated at a federal penitentiary in New Jersey for four years and two months. His anticipated release date is May 2028. In July, jurors found him guilty on two counts under the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state boundaries for sexual reasons, but cleared him of charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

His attorneys claim that when establishing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian unlawfully relied on information related to the allegations that were acquitted. In their letter, they accused the judge of acting as a “thirteenth juror,” going above his authority.

Even when coercion is present, which the jury did not find in this case, defendants are usually sentenced to fewer than 15 months for these acts, the lawyers said. Additionally, they contended that the judge’s conclusions “included the highest sentence ever imposed for any remotely similar defendant and overruled the verdict.”

Subramanian stated at sentencing that he disregarded arguments that the actions amounted to consenting behavior, citing the accounts of two ex-girlfriends who indicated they were coerced into having protracted sex with male prostitutes. Cassie Ventura was one of those witnesses, telling jurors that during their connection, Diddy had commanded her to engage in hundreds of instances of “disgusting” sex with strangers.

“You abused the power and control that you had over the lives of women you professed to love dearly,” Subramanian scolded Diddy bluntly.

Oral arguments have not yet been scheduled by the appeals court, so Diddy’s plea for immediate release is still pending.