Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs' New York jail inmate is none other than this cryptocurrency mogul
Arrested for racketeering and sexual assault, Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleads not guilty, while a bail proposal is rejected due to witness tampering concerns.
At this time, Sean 'Diddy' Combs is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (M.D.C.) in Brooklyn. According to The New York Times, the music mogul is sleeping in a communal-style room next to Sam Bankman-Fried, the convict cryptocurrency entrepreneur who is guilty of fraud, along with other defendants.
Combs has been arrested for almost a week now after the unsealing of a federal prosecutor's indictment that charges him with racketeering conspiracy along with sexual assault and sex trafficking. The charges claim a “decades-long pattern of physical and sexual violence.”
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team argued for his release on bail, offering a $50 million bond and proposing a security team to monitor him around the clock. However, the US judge rejected this proposal, citing concerns that Combs might attempt to tamper with witnesses, which resulted in his placement in a special housing unit reserved for high-profile inmates.
“The agency does not provide information about conditions of confinement, including housing assignments or internal security practices for any particular incarcerated individual,” a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons said.
Who is Sam Bankman-Fried?
FTX cryptocurrency exchange's founder, Bankman-Fried, has occupied M.D.C. since the revocation of his bail in the previous year. His attorneys had earlier criticized the poor conditions at the jail, stating that restricted internet access made it hard for their client to generate materials for defending himself. As a vegan, Bankman-Fried was reportedly subsisting on just water, bread, and peanut butter. Thus, for the present, he chose to remain at M.D.C. as he appealed the conviction, which produced a 25-year prison sentence for his role in a broad fraud scheme involving billions of customer funds.
Diddy's lawyers claimed MDC's condition is too ‘horrific’ to live
On the other font, the ‘Coming Home’ star's defence team expressed concerns about the facility too, with his lawyers describing the conditions as too “horrific” for a defendant awaiting trial.
However, his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has praised the staff at M.D.C., saying, “The dedicated professionals at the M.D.C. are doing everything possible to help him and his lawyers prepare his defence, and I personally thank them.”
“He’s strong, focused and our meetings are very productive. I can’t say enough good things about the M.D.C., which has been responsive to our and his needs.”
Combs's lawyers indicated that, for now, they do not plan to request his transfer to another detention center.