Federal jail where Diddy is being held described as 'hell on earth'
NEW YORK - Sean "Diddy" Combs was sent to a federal jail in Brooklyn after his sex trafficking arrest, described by his lawyers as having horrific conditions, rampant violence and multiple deaths.
Combs, 54, was denied a request to let him await trial under house arrest at his $48 million mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida.
Instead, he was sent on Tuesday to the Metropolitan Detention Center — a place that’s been described as "hell on earth" and an "ongoing tragedy" — after pleading not guilty in a case that accuses him of physically and sexually abusing women for more than a decade.
FILE - Sean Combs aka "Diddy" attends the celebration for Diddys birthday and new album launch at LAVO on Nov. 9, 2023, in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for TAO Group Hospitality)
In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there, according to the Associated Press. It’s also been home to a number of high-profile inmates, including R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
Here’s what to know about the federal jail that’s now housing the music mogul:
What is the Metropolitan Detention Center?
The facility, known as MDC Brooklyn, is the only federal jail in New York City and has been plagued by problems since it opened in the 1990s, according to the Associated Press.
It’s used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.
The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, has about 1,200 detainees, down from more than 1,600 in January. It has outdoor recreation facilities, a medical unit with examination rooms and a dental suite. It has a separate wing for educational programs and the jail’s library.
New York's Metropolitan Detention Center (file)
Detainees have long complained about rampant violence, dreadful conditions, severe staffing shortages and the widespread smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of it facilitated by employees.
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At the same time, they say they’ve been subject to frequent lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.
In June, Uriel Whyte, 37, was stabbed to death at the jail. A month later, Edwin Cordero, 36, died after he was hurt in a brawl. At least four people detained at the jail have died by suicide in the last three years, the AP reported.
Cordero’s lawyer, Andrew Dalack, told The New York Times his client was just the victim of "an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth."
At least six MDC Brooklyn staff members have been charged with crimes in the last five years. Some were accused of accepting bribes or providing contraband such as drugs, cigarettes, and cellphones, according to an AP analysis of agency-related arrests.
MDC Brooklyn has also come under fire for its response to debilitating infrastructure breakdowns and the pandemic. In 2019, a week-long power failure sparked unrest among shivering inmates and drew concerns from federal watchdogs.
In March 2020, the jail had the first federal inmate to test positive for COVID-19.
As of last November, according to court filings, MDC Brooklyn was operating at about 55% of full staffing, which was taxing to employees and added to its security woes.
In a statement, the federal Bureau of Prisons said: "We also take seriously addressing the staffing and other challenges at MDC Brooklyn." An agency team is working to fix problems, including by adding permanent correctional and medical staff, remedying more than 700 backlogged maintenance requests and answering judges' concerns, according to the AP.
Judges and advocates have taken notice, excoriating the Bureau of Prisons for "dangerous, barbaric conditions" and pressing the agency to make improvements. Some judges have moved away from sending defendants to MDC Brooklyn or have given reduced sentences because of the conditions there, the AP reported.
Who else has been detained at MDC Brooklyn?
Combs is just the latest celebrity inmate to be locked up at MDC Brooklyn, joining a list that includes Maxwell, Kelly, Bankman-Fried and the rapper Fetty Wap.
Other high-profile detainees have included Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli, NXIVM sex cult founder Keith Raniere, former Mexican government official Genaro Garcia Luna and ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado.
What happened to New York City’s other federal jail?
After Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, it later closed in 2021 after a slew of problems that came to light.
The jail — next to the courthouse where Combs was arraigned — was plagued by lax security, severe staffing shortages and squalid, unsafe conditions including falling concrete, freezing temperatures and busted cells.
People detained at the facility were relocated to MDC Brooklyn or a medium-security prison in Otisville, New York.
What have Combs’ lawyers and prosecutors said about the jail?
In paperwork seeking his release, Combs’ lawyers argued that the Metropolitan Detention Center is not fit for pretrial detention – citing recent detainee deaths, and concerns shared by judges that the jail is no place for anyone to be held.
Asked about keeping a high-profile inmate like Combs locked up, particularly in light of Epstein’s 2019 death, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told the AP: "We are concerned with anyone’s safety whenever they are detained prior to trial."
"I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial," he added.
Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Wednesday that the rapper is being held in MDC Brooklyn's special housing unit, which offers an extra layer of security but can make trial preparation more difficult. He asked that Combs be moved to a New Jersey jail, but a judge said it's up to the Bureau of Prisons to decide.
Diddy indictment details: Baby oil, alleged ‘freak offs’ and violence
Combs is accused in an indictment of using his "power and prestige" to induce female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances dubbed "Freak Offs" that Combs arranged, participated in and often recorded on video.
The events would sometimes last days and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids to recover, the indictment said.
The indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women for years, with the help of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violent acts including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings to keep victims from speaking out.
In March, authorities raided Combs' Los Angeles and Florida homes, seizing drugs, videos and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, prosecutors said. They said agents also seized guns and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers.
A conviction on every charge would require a mandatory 15 years in prison with the possibility of a life sentence.