Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Reportedly Complains About ‘Horrific’ Jail Conditions—What To Know About Notorious Metropolitan Detention Center

18 Sep 2024 by Conor Murray · Forbes

Topline

Sean “Diddy” Combs and his lawyers are pushing for the rapper to be moved from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the notorious New York jail with a reputation for poor conditions and a history of housing famous inmates, which they are reportedly calling “horrific.”

Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested Monday. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Getty Images

Key Facts

Combs, who was arrested late Monday on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, while he awaits trial.

The jail, which houses more than 1,300 inmates, is notorious for poor conditions and violence, and Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo wrote in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky the conditions are “not fit for pre-trial detention” and “numerous courts in this district have raised concerns with the horrific conditions of detention here,” according to NBC News.

Earlier this summer, inmate Edwin Cordero died from injuries sustained during a fight at the detention center, which his lawyer Andrew Dalack called “senseless and completely preventable,” slamming the prison as “an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth.”

One month before Cordero’s death, inmate Uriel Whyte was reportedly stabbed to death in a fight with another inmate.

The jail drew criticism after an electrical fire in January 2019 caused power to shut off for a week, leaving inmates with limited heat or hot water as temperatures in New York dipped to as low as 3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Four inmates have died by suicide over the past three years, and at least six staff members have been charged with crimes over the past five years, which included accepting bribes and providing contraband items, the Associated Press reported.

News Peg

After facing a string of sexual assault lawsuits over the past year, Combs was arrested in New York by federal authorities late Monday on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail, and he will remain in custody until his trial. Prosecutors alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” accusing the rapper of forcing women into performing sex acts with male sex workers in what he called “freak offs.” He has repeatedly denied misconduct claims against him.

What Celebrities Have Been Held At The Metropolitan Detention Center?

The jail has housed numerous famous inmates while they awaited trial, including R. Kelly, who was housed at the prison in 2022 while he awaited sentencing on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His lawyers sued the prison for placing the singer on suicide watch, which they alleged was a form of punishment. Kelly’s lawyers alleged the jail has a history of “placing high profile individuals under the harsh conditions of suicide watch whether they are suicidal or not”—citing former Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was held at the prison between 2020 and 2022. Maxwell was also placed on suicide watch in 2022, but her lawyers said she was “not suicidal,” and her lawyers also repeatedly complained about the prison’s poor conditions. Other famous inmates at the jail have included Michael Cohen, former President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, was held there in 2020, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was held at the prison from August 2023 until May while facing fraud and conspiracy charges.

Key Background

Combs has faced lawsuits since November 2023 alleging sexual assault, which he denied. Singer Cassie Ventura filed the first of several high-profile lawsuits against Combs on Nov. 16, alleging he subjected her to a yearslong abusive relationship, which was quickly settled for an undisclosed amount. Months later, CNN published video of Combs shoving and kicking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel, which Combs apologized for in a video posted to Instagram. In February, Combs was sued by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who said he was subject to “unwanted advances by associates of Diddy at his direction,” and again last week by Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard, who alleged he groped and assaulted her.