Diddy Fires Back at Federal Prosecutors in Battle Over Bail

Sean "Diddy" Combs is firing back at federal prosecutors who want to keep him locked up at least another two months ... he says they're hellbent on punishing him for hiring adult male prostitutes and paying them handsomely to bang his girlfriends.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's legal team rips the feds ... claiming prosecutors are unfairly targeting him as they have throughout a "misplaced investigation"

Diddy's camp comes out firing ... "Impervious to the jury’s verdict, the government proceeds as though Combs was not acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, along with all the racketeering acts with which he was charged and found not guilty."

His attorneys continue ... "Hellbent on punishing him for being a user of prostitution services in a more draconian manner than anyone in U.S. history, the government continues to target him unfairly, just as it has done from the inception of this provably misplaced investigation."

The filing comes in response to federal prosecutors urging the judge in Diddy's criminal case to deny him bail and keep him in jail until his October 3 sentencing.

As we first reported, Diddy filed a new motion for bail last month ... with his legal team arguing he's probably the only man in America behind bars for hiring and transporting male sex workers across state lines to bang his girlfriend.

Diddy skated on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in his criminal trial and only got dinged for two lesser, prostitution-related charges under the Mann Act ... but his lawyers say prosecutors are making statements that are at odds with what a jury of his peers found.

His defense previously said there's no binding precedent for keeping him in jail before sentencing ... but prosecutors came back and said Diddy failed to show the court any evidence to mitigate his crimes, which might justify releasing him on bail.

Prosecutors also cited 2 prior federal cases in which judges denied defendants bail after convictions under the Mann Act. They say both cases are almost carbon copies of Diddy's, because the defendants were also facing sex trafficking charges, but were only convicted of Mann Act violations.

Diddy's team says his case is an outlier ... because the prostitutes he hired were adult American men who he and his longtime girlfriends agreed to bring into their relationship. Diddy says the men were paid thousands of dollars for sex and believed they were friends with Diddy, Cassie and "Jane."