Violence, Maggots In Food: Sean 'Diddy' Combs Did Not Want To Go Back To This Jail
Despite being found not guilty on the most serious counts at his sex trafficking trial, Sean "Diddy" Combs will spend months awaiting sentencing at a notoriously understaffed and violent Brooklyn jail where the music mogul has lived through nearly ten months of lockdowns and fights.
Combs, 55, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center since his September 2024 arrest. The facility, which has also held convicted sex traffickers like British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and rhythm and blues singer R. Kelly, is a far cry from the luxurious Los Angeles and Miami mansions Combs called home until last year.
After the verdict was read on Wednesday, Combs' lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to release him on $1 million bond ahead of his sentencing, expected to take place by October.
"I understand that you don't, that Mr. Combs does not want to go back to the MDC," the judge said. Combs shook his head.
His hopes of returning to one of those homes and the embrace of his family after being cleared of the more serious charges were soon dashed. The judge denied Combs' request for bail, citing evidence of his violent behavior presented during the trial.
In recent years, MDC has been plagued by persistent staffing shortages, power outages and maggots in inmates' food. Two weeks after Combs' arrest, prosecutors announced criminal charges against nine MDC inmates for crimes including assault, attempted murder and murder at the facility in the months before Combs arrived.
In January of last year, a federal judge in Manhattan declined to order a man charged with drug crimes detained pending trial at the MDC, calling the conditions there an "ongoing tragedy."
Last August, another judge said he would convert an older defendant's nine-month jail term to home incarceration if he were sent to MDC, citing the jail's "dangerous, barbaric conditions."
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which operates MDC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bureau has said it takes its duty to protect inmates seriously.
During the eight-week trial, U.S. Marshals transported Combs to and from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan each day from the facility in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, which has also housed former cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and Luigi Mangione, accused of killing a health insurance executive.
Bankman-Fried has since been moved to a low-security prison in California and is appealing his fraud conviction and 25-year sentence. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
A jury found Combs not guilty on Wednesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, sparing him a potential life sentence, but convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution that could land him in prison for several years. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Combs' defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in court on Wednesday that Combs had been housed in "a very difficult part of the MDC" where there have been fights. His lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said in a November 2024 court filing that frequent lockdowns at the facility had impaired Combs' ability to prepare for trial.
On Wednesday, Combs' lawyers praised MDC staff, who they said had facilitated their access to him during the trial.
"Despite the terrible conditions at the MDC, I want to thank the good people who work there," defense lawyer Teny Geragos told reporters after the verdict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Wimbledon in words: The best books about tennis' most iconic tournament
'Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please…' It is that time of the year when those words ring out at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships, or, as the world fondly knows it, Wimbledon. Easily the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon has an aura of its own, complete with celebrity galleries, members of the British monarchy in royal boxes, ball boys and girls in special uniforms, inevitable rain interruptions, a special dish of strawberries and cream, and, of course tennis played strictly in predominantly white attire. For a fortnight in late June and early July, tennis rubs shoulders with tradition and tabloids, and is the centre of the sporting world. Unsurprisingly, numerous books have been written about the tournament. Nearly every tennis player's biography features at least a few pages dedicated to Wimbledon. If you are looking to dive deeper into the event, its stars, and its magic, here's a selection of books that serve up Wimbledon in all its glory. The best book to start reading about Wimbledon is John Barrett's rather weighty and spectacular Wimbledon: The Official History. This is the story of the tournament as told by veteran tennis player and commentator John Barrett, who first brought out the book in 2001, and has been regularly updating it since. At almost 600 pages, it is a slightly lengthy read, but sprinkled liberally among the very immaculate prose (including an introduction by the Duke of York) are dozens of fantastic and rare photographs, and even maps of the courts. You have pretty much everything you wish to know about the tournament here, from history to key matches and players. Barrett tells the story of Wimbledon in chronological order, but intersperses history with lighter sections on interesting aspects of the tournament, such as the presence of royalty at the courts, why the tournament is still played on grass, tennis fashions (the famous dresses of Suzanne Lenglen) and the roles of different members of staff. While the prose is very good, we can see many people getting the book just for the amazing pictures. Our favourite is Bunny Austin, the first man to wear shorts on Centre Court, nonchalantly sipping a cup of tea, watched by an amused policeman. The book has not been updated since 2020, but it remains the one book to read on Wimbledon. If Barrett's tome feels too intimidating, try Richard Jones' The People's Wimbledon: Memories and Memorabilia from the Lawn Tennis Championships. It is a more compact and light-hearted take on the tournament's legacy, filled with archival photos not just of players, but also of old tickets, snacks, toys, and magazine covers. There's even a delightful section called Wimbledonia, which covers the tournament's presence in films, postcards, and print. Although less comprehensive than Barrett's, Jones' book is perfect for those wanting a breezier, nostalgia-tinged read. Like The Official History, however, it could use an update as it ends in 2019. A more personal look at the tournament and its players can be seen in Sue Barker's recent release Wimbledon: A Personal History. Barker, once a top player and now best known as a sports presenter, offers affectionate portraits of Wimbledon legends. She begins with Rod Laver, who she says is the 'one player alone who is responsible for Wimbledon becoming the magical fortnight of history-creating tennis that we all know and love today' and Billie Jean King, and goes on to the likes of the Williams sisters, Emma Raducanu and of course, Roger Federer. At 320 pages, this is an easy read, with a memorable introduction that gives you a feel of the place. You can almost smell the grass and the sound of balls flying off racquets as Barker describes watching the 2023 men's final sitting next to Hollywood star Sir Ian McKellan. It may be rich in tradition and atmosphere, but for many, the greatest attraction of Wimbledon is the tennis itself. Abi Smith's Wimbledon's Greatest Games takes this view and lists fifty of the greatest matches played in the tournament. There are the usual suspects: Borg vs McEnroe in 1980, Nadal vs Federer in 2008 and Agassi vs Ivanesevic in 1992, but also some relatively lesser-known encounters such as Louise Brough vs Maurice Connolly in 1952 and Althea Gibson vs Darlene Hard in 1957. Smith includes several doubles matches, reminding us that the tournament's magic is not limited to singles. You might question the rankings (Nadal vs. Federer at 39?!) or the inclusion of some matches (Becker vs. Curren in 1985 wasn't exactly a thriller), but the storytelling keeps you turning pages. Those wanting to experience a classic match through the pages of a book should grab Malcolm Folley's Borg vs McEnroe: The Greatest Rivalry, The Greatest Match. Folley walks one through the epic 1980 Wimbledon final between the two rivals, which many (us included) consider to be the greatest match of tennis ever played. Folley uses the first 160 pages or so of this slim 220 page volume building up the rivalry of the two legends, and devotes the last thirty odd pages to the match itself, with the 18-16 tie-breaker (remembered as the single greatest game in the history of the sport) getting an entire, nail-biting chapter. It is riveting reading right down to the last page. If you're more into modern rivalries, L Jon Wertheim's Strokes of Genius does a similar job for the Nadal–Federer 2008 final. While it does not quite reach the gladiatorial intensity of Borg vs. McEnroe, it's still essential reading for fans of either legend. Finally, if you are wondering what it takes to win Wimbledon, pick up Analyzing Wimbledon: The Power of Statistics by Franc Klaasen and Jan R Magnus. This offers a statistical viewpoint on what it takes to win matches at Wimbledon. From first-serve percentages to tie-breaker tendencies, this book explores the numbers behind Wimbledon victories with almost forensic precision. While Klaasen and Magnus provide some amazing facts, they get too mathematical at points. Still if you are a stat and trend chaser, this is an absolute treasure trove.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
"I'm Incredibly Petty": YouTuber Fakes Death To Secure Rs 4,300 Refund From Airline
British YouTuber and comedian Max Fosh has gone viral for his elaborate attempt to secure a $50 (approximately Rs 4,300) refund from an airline by faking his own death. In a recent vlog, the 30-year-old shared how he successfully requested repayment for a cancelled flight after staging his own death with legal documentation to back it up. He began by explaining that the airline - the name of which he omitted from the video - would only provide refunds in cases where the passenger had died. "I am embarking on this mission because I'm incredibly petty... It's the principle that I take issue with," the YouTuber said in the video titled "I Technically Died." In the vlog, Fosh explained that two months earlier, he had booked a flight that he ultimately couldn't take. When he tried to request a refund, he discovered "a cheeky legal clause that airlines use that lost of people fall foul of." "Airlines will only provide cash refunds if passengers are dead," the comedian shared. "So, I needed to die. This is a story of how I traveled to another country, held my own funeral, and was legally declared dead, all to get back 37.28 pounds [approximately $50] from the big bad airlines," he added. Fosh said that he contacted several foreign governments before he finally received a response from Seborga, which he explained to be a "self-declared principality" that claims it was "accidentally left out of the unification of Italy." "The town has operated as an independent nation with its own flag, currency and government. Despite not being recognized as an official independent nation, Seborga and its people fight every day for its independence and legitimacy," he said. Fosh went to Seborga on the grounds of a state visit with the "Princess" of the principality, Nina Menegatto. After she toured Fosh around, he told her about his quest for a refund, and she was willing to help him out. "My fight with a big airline seemed to resonate with the Princess, and Seborga's fight for independence. So she kindly agreed to sign a special, one-off death certificate," the content creator said. To further sell his elaborate scheme, Fosh hosted a faux funeral for himself, which was attended by three hired "mourners". He then gathered all the necessary documents, including the death certificate, to submit the refund application. "My hope is that the (airline) gets a lot of these and so they don't look at it for too long," Fosh said. Five days later, the YouTuber received an email from the airline agreeing to continue with his application. However, at this point, Fosh decided to consult with his lawyer, who advised him not to take any more steps to claim the money. "It's not fraud, but it is fraudulent," Fosh's lawyer said in a clip. "I normally would let you, but this time I really have to put my foot down," he added. The 30-year-old ended the vlog by saying that he followed the legal advice and ended his effort to get a refund. He also warned his viewers not to try the scheme themselves. Since being shared, Fosh's video has garnered more than 2.1 million views on YouTube.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
DGP, others pay tributes to Alluri Sitharama Raju
Director-General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta paid floral tributes to 'Manyam Veerudu' Alluri Sitharama Raju at the AP Police Headquarters at Mangalagiri on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gupta said Sitharama Raju, who had sacrificed his life during the freedom struggle, was in the hearts of many people. Eluru disrict Superintendent of Police K. Pratap Shiva Kishore said that Sitharama Raju had links with West Godavari and ASR districts. The freedom fighter did schooling at Mogallu village of Palakoderu mandal. He fought against the British rulers in the tribal habitations in Paderu, Chintapalli and Rampachodavaram areas, he said. NTR District Police Commissioner S.V. Rajashekar Babu and Krishna district SP R. Gangadhar paid tributes to Sitharama Raju on the occasion of his 128th birth anniversary. 'Sitharama Raju fought for the rights of adivasis and the people living in the tribal villages,' Mr. Rajashekar Babu said.
