The reported price of keeping a potential life sentence off the table has climbed into the eight-figure neighborhood. Sean “Diddy” Combs spent an estimated $7 million to $8 million on the lawyers who defended him through his federal criminal case and now represent him on appeal, according to sources cited by TMZ.
The total reportedly covers legal work dating back to Combs’ September 2024 arrest, including months of pretrial litigation, an eight-week trial, sentencing, and the continuing challenge to his conviction. Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos led a defense team that also included Brian Steel, Nicole Westmoreland, Alexandra Shapiro, and several other attorneys. TMZ did not publish invoices or court records supporting the estimate, leaving the amount as a figure attributed to people familiar with Combs’ legal expenses.
Whatever the final bill, the defense secured the outcome that mattered most to Combs. Jurors acquitted the Bad Boy founder of racketeering conspiracy and two sex-trafficking counts, rejecting charges that carried the possibility of life in federal prison. He was convicted instead on two counts of transporting people across state lines to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act.
Read More: Diddy's Prison Release Date Pushed Back Following Fight That Landed Him In Solitary
A Costly Appeal
Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison in October 2025. His time in custody since his arrest counts toward that term, but the sentence still exceeded what his attorneys sought after trial. Combs is serving his sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey.
The legal spending has continued because the trial verdict did not close the case. Combs is appealing both his convictions and sentence, arguing in part that the judge improperly relied on conduct connected to charges the jury rejected. A Second Circuit panel heard arguments on April 9 and questioned both sides about the severity and legal basis of the punishment before reserving its decision.
