Sean “Diddy” Combs is fighting back against a federal charge, claiming he is being unfairly targeted because he is a successful Black man.

His lawyers filed new legal documents on Tuesday, February 18, arguing that the government is using an outdated and racist law, the Mann Act, to prosecute him.

The Mann Act, also called the White-Slave Traffic Act, has been a federal law since 1910. Diddy pointed out that it has been used against Black celebrities in the past, like musician Chuck Berry and boxer Jack Johnson.

His legal team argues that no white person has ever been charged under this law for hiring male escorts across state lines.

Federal prosecutors accuse Diddy of paying male escorts for private parties. However, his lawyers argue that hiring escorts is common in American society, and the escort service involved operates legally.

They claim that the case is based on the fact that Diddy and his two longtime girlfriends sometimes invited a third person—a male escort—into their relationship. His team believes this should not be considered a crime and suggests that the charges are racially motivated.

To support his argument, Diddy mentioned former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer resigned in 2008 after being linked to an escort service, but he was never prosecuted. Diddy’s team believes this shows that Black public figures are treated unfairly under the law.

Even though he has not denied the allegations, Diddy insists that he is being singled out because of his race. He is asking the judge to drop the Mann Act charge from his case.