News : Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers call for his release

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers have called for his release.

The rapper and record producer's legal team has asked a federal judge to release him from prison ahead of his sentencing in October.

Combs' lawyers argue that customers of prostitution are not typically incarcerated in the same manner as Combs has been.

The request comes weeks after a jury found the I'll Be Missing You rapper guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

However, he was acquitted of two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering conspiracy, charges which could have resulted in a life sentence.

Although he was found not guilty of the most serious charges, the 55-year-old could still face up to ten years in prison.

At the time, Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that Combs must remain in custody until sentencing, citing his history of domestic violence.

In the new filing, however, the rapper's lawyers asked the judge to reconsider.

"Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct," Combs' lawyers wrote. "In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of john."

They added that pre-sentencing imprisonment is usually reserved for those who run prostitution operations, and argued that Combs' crimes were much less serious.

"There has literally never been a case like this one, where a person and his girlfriend arranged for adult men to have consensual sexual relations with the adult long-term girlfriend," the lawyers continued. "Mr. Combs is incarcerated while everyone else involved in this identical conduct - his girlfriends, the (prostitutes), the agency's leaders, the porn stars and others - walk free, as they should."

If released, Combs' lawyers say he will comply with the previously offered conditions, including a $50 million (£37 million) bail bond and travel restrictions. They also insisted that he is not a flight risk and "will not be violent to anyone."

Combs' sentencing hearing is scheduled for 3 October in New York.