Diddy’s New Prison Home Described As ‘Hell On Earth’

While some have condemned Sean Combs for his past sins, whatever awaits him in the afterlife, he is reportedly enduring a living hell in the deplorable conditions of his current incarceration.

Diddy denied bail while awaiting trial--EEW Magazine

As they unsuccessfully fought to keep Sean “Diddy” Combs out of jail after his sex trafficking arrest, the music mogul’s lawyers highlighted a litany of horrors at the Brooklyn federal lockup where he was headed: horrific conditions, rampant violence and multiple deaths.

Combs, 54, was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday — 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.

The music mogul was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents on the evening of Monday, September 16, based on a sealed indictment, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said. Prosecutors say he, one of hip-hop's biggest names, used his fame to coerce women into demeaning sexual acts as part of a long-running scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering.

EEW Magazine

The facility he’s now locked away in, the only federal jail in New York City, has been plagued by problems since it opened in the 1990s. In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there. It has also been home to a number of high-profile inmates, including R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

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.

A judge on Wednesday denied a request by Combs’ lawyers to let him await trial under house arrest at his $48 million mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida. 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. 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, reports Associated Press.

The rapper and producer used his business empire including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment to transport women, as well as male sex workers, across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called "Freak Offs" in which the music mogul would watch and masturbate, prosecutors said.

In a possible preview of defense strategy, Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the sexual activity described by prosecutors consensual.

"Does everybody have experience with being intimate this way? No. Is it sex trafficking? No. Not if everybody wants to be there," Agnifilo told the judge.

Combs faces a sentence of up to life in prison, and a minimum of 15 years, if convicted of the three felony counts

, opens new tab: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Prosecutors said Combs enticed women by giving them drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy, financial support, or promises of career support or a romantic relationship. Combs then used the surreptitious recordings of the sex acts as "collateral" to ensure that the women would remain silent, and sometimes displayed weapons to intimidate abuse victims and witnesses, prosecutors said.

The indictment did not specify how many women were alleged victims. It contained no allegation that Combs himself directly engaged in unwanted sexual contact with women, though he was accused of assaulting them by punching, kicking, dragging and throwing objects. Combs and his associates used bribery and violence such as arson and kidnapping to try to keep his conduct secret, prosecutors said.

The cultural icon, now a criminal inmate, is reportedly on suicide watch at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits trial, according to sources cited by PEOPLE. While it is unclear whether Combs has exhibited suicidal tendencies or how long he has been on suicide watch, sources suggest that the measure is precautionary due to his state of shock and the uncertainty surrounding his mental well-being.