P Diddy, real name Sean Combs, is set to be held in pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York after being denied bail on his sex trafficking charges. The 54-year-old music mogul pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges earlier this week, with his legal team offering a whopping $50m for bail and in-home detention.
However, Judge Tarnofsky ruled that the 'Tell Me' star should be 'detained' in a jail, which has been described as 'hell on earth'.
The MDC, which currently holds around 1,600 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, has been New York City's main federal detention center since 2021. This came about after the Bureau of Prisons closed Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center - where disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein died - due to the horrific conditions inside.
Located on the East River, the MDC in Brooklyn , which previously housed fellow disgraced rapper R. Kelly, has also been plagued by reports of constant lockdowns, outbreaks of violence, and a spate of stabbings.
Combs' legal team acknowledged the dire conditions at the MDC in a motion for bail filed earlier this week, stating that 'several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention', reports the Mirror . They added: "Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered," and "At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years."
They also noted that stabbings occur 'at least a couple of times a week'. A man awaiting trial on gun charges for over two years, Uriel Whyte, was fatally stabbed inside the MDC on June 7. Less than five weeks later, a second inmate, Edwin Cordero, passed away from injuries sustained in a jailhouse brawl.
"It's very violent," Eli, an inmate, confided to Spectrum News NY1 following the incident involving Whyte. "There's stabbings, there's stabbings at least a couple times a week."
Concerns have been raised about hygiene as well, with inmates and their legal representatives reporting finding roaches in their food and mould in the showers. The conditions of the prison were termed 'dreadful,' 'longstanding,' 'dirty,' 'inhuman' and an 'ongoing tragedy' in recent legal claims, emphasized by Combs' lawyers.
Further issues occurred in February 2019 when a fire allegedly knocked out electricity and heating to parts of the institution, leaving detainees in pitch-black and near-freezing conditions.
Among those incarcerated at that time were Nxivm sex-cult head Keith Raniere, suspected jewel thief Damir Pejcinovic, MS-13 affiliates, and organized crime figures.
During this period, Deirdre von Dornum of the Federal Defenders' Brooklyn office reported to media that prisoners had swaddled themselves 'head to toe in towels and blankets' to keep warm.
Public outcry escalated as protesters converged outside the penitentiary where inmates could be heard pounding on the walls and signaling with nightlights seeking assistance. Issues with sanitation were also noted, including toilets that were brimming over.
Ghislaine Maxwell was detained at the facility in 2021 when she faced charges including enticing minors and trafficking underage girls, linked to her connections with Epstein. Her attorneys reported that she endured poor treatment she wasn't receiving enough food, was losing her hair, was given meals contaminated by melted plastic, drinking dirty water, and could smell the toilets overflowing.
Maxwell also alleged correctional officers physically mistreated her, essentially kept her in solitary confinement, disturbed her sleep with flashlight checks, and subjected her to degrading searches regularly.
Her lawyer, Bobbi C. Sternheim, detailed the conditions in a letter revealed by Insider: "Cockroaches and rodents are plentiful and glue tracks have been placed in Ms. Maxwell's day area to help remediate the problem. The worst part is there's no real outdoor space. It's just a place to warehouse human beings."
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Local News
