Sean Combs has been placed in the same cell of a Brooklyn jail with convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, The New York Times reports.
The two are not cellmates in the classic sense of sharing the same small jail room; rather, they’re both sleeping in a large dormitory-style room at the Metropolitan Detention Center with several other defendants. The Times confirmed the arrangement through a source, but the Bureau for Prisons declined to speak on the matter.
The agency said it “does not provide information about conditions of confinement, including housing assignments or internal security practices for any particular incarcerated individual.”
Combs has been in the M.D.C. since his arrest last week. The hip-hop mogul, who’s faced a wave of abuse and assault allegations over the past year, was indicted on federal racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. The indictment accuses Combs of using his wealth and power to run a criminal enterprise centered on “his own sexual gratification.” Combs has pleaded not guilty to the three charges against him.
Combs has, so far, failed in his efforts to secure release on bail. His attorneys first offered a massive package that would’ve included a $50 million bond, the passports of his daughters and mothers, the equity of a condo in Florida, and home detention with GPS monitoring. The judge, however, denied the request, citing “very significant concerns,” including his alleged drug abuse, “anger issues,” and claims of witness tampering.
In appealing the decision, Combs promised to also submit to weekly drug tests, bar visits from any women aside from family, and have no contact with potential witnesses in the case. A different judge upheld the original decision.
As for Bankman-Fried, he’s been in M.D.C. since last fall. While he was convicted of orchestrating a massive fraud scheme with the cryptocurrency exchange he founded, FTX, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, Bankman-Fried asked to stay at M.D.C. while his lawyers prepped an appeal. That appeal to overturn his fraud conviction was finally filed earlier this month.
