The Brooklyn prison where Diddy is being held is notorious for its poor conditions and celebrities
The Brooklyn prison where Diddy is being held is known for its horrific conditions and the fact that many celebrities are incarcerated there.
Days after Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking, organized crime, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution, a video was released purporting to show his detention.
In footage released by TMZ on Friday, a man believed to be Combs enters the lobby of a hotel with a group of people and is immediately escorted away by two men. In another scene, four men lead Combs back through the lobby doors while he has his hands behind his back and appears to be handcuffed.
The incident occurred Monday at the Park Hyatt New York, where Combs had been staying for more than a week after traveling to New York to, as his lawyers described it, “surrender himself” to authorities.
USA TODAY has asked Combs’ attorneys for comment on the video.
The morning after his arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York released a 14-page indictment to a federal grand jury on Tuesday, revealing a wide-ranging and ongoing investigation into the hip-hop icon. Investigators say the 54-year-old elaborately planned to use his finances and status in the entertainment industry to “fulfill his sexual desires” in a “recurring and widely known” pattern of abuse.
At his arraignment on Tuesday, Combs pleaded not guilty to the three charges. Until his trial, Combs is being held in solitary confinement in the special housing unit at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a facility that has made headlines for its poor conditions for inmates.
Amid a barrage of civil lawsuits filed against him by alleged victims alleging misconduct spanning three decades, Combs has consistently maintained his innocence.
Why judges didn’t grant Diddy bail
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter on Wednesday, Combs’ lawyers asked for his release from custody on $50 million bail secured by the equity in his and his mother’s Florida homes, arguing that he had made himself available to the government for detention. The letter also noted that Combs, his daughters and his mother had surrendered their passports to his lawyer.
However, two different judges denied Combs’ request for bail this week. The first judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky, agreed with U.S. attorneys’ argument that Combs posed a risk if released to house arrest.
“I do not believe your attorney is capable of controlling you, given the very serious issues I have, particularly my substance abuse and apparent anger issues,” Tarnofsky told Combs and his attorney, according to a court transcript seen by USA TODAY.
“The danger is, in my opinion, very serious,” she added of Combs’ release, concluding that the bail package offered by his team would not “guarantee his return to court, the safety of the community, or the avoidance of witness tampering.”
Why the allegations are “very serious”: Legal experts explain the allegations against Diddy
Evidence against Diddy includes videos of “Freak Offs” and dozens of witnesses
In a September 17 letter to the judge arguing that Combs be detained pending trial, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams claims that his office has “the testimony of dozens of witnesses and victims of his repeated abuse, as well as evidence from dozens of his own electronic devices and those of his co-conspirators.”
Investigators have seized more than 90 cell phones, laptops, cloud storage accounts, and at least 30 storage devices. They have issued more than 300 grand jury subpoenas to obtain this evidence from communications providers, technology and social media companies, financial institutions, and Combs’ companies.
“Dozens of victims and witnesses have provided detailed, credible and corroborated information against the defendant. Among these individuals are many who personally experienced and witnessed violence and other crimes at the hands of the defendant,” Williams wrote. These witnesses have financial, travel and communication records to support their testimony, he said.
Will fans mute Diddy? Rapper currently in federal custody
As more details emerge about the allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, some are wondering if it is possible to mute the rapper.
Prosecutors reportedly have “dozens” of videos showing Combs’ so-called “freak-offs” – sometimes day-long sex performances between sex workers and people he allegedly coerced into participating through drugs and intimidation – that corroborate witness accounts.
Combs’ indictment states that Homeland Security Investigations agents recovered drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that were allegedly used in his “outbursts” during raids on Combs’ homes on March 25. They also allegedly discovered several AR-15 rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Combs’ lawyers have said they will appeal the court’s denials to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His next hearing is scheduled for October 9.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, RAIN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
