It wasn’t long ago that Sean “Diddy” Combs – whose groundbreaking debut album was titled No way out– and Sam Bankman-Fried were at the top of their respective worlds: Combs, one of the most successful rappers and producers of his time, and Bankman-Fried, a multi-billionaire and founder of the crypto exchange FTX. Both lives took a dark turn, however, and now the two disgraced celebrities have something else in common: a shared dormitory in a notorious Brooklyn prison, according to a trusted source familiar with Assets on condition of anonymity. The New York Times and NBC first reported the news.
Sam Bankman-Fried has been an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center since August 2023, when a federal judge revoked his bail after releasing diary entries from his former co-worker and former girlfriend Caroline Ellison to the New York TimesBankman-Fried was on trial for the collapse of FTX, which was once valued at over $30 billion.
Bankman-Fried’s time in prison was tumultuous. His lawyers fought for his release during the trial, arguing that he had not had adequate access to laptops to prepare his defense. They also said Bankman-Fried is a vegan and lives on bread, water and the occasional peanut butter. The judge repeatedly denied the request.
Human rights activists and lawyers have long criticized conditions at the MDC, which houses detainees awaiting trial in federal court in New York City, including high-profile detainees such as the former president of Honduras, whose lawyers have described his detention as a “prisoner of war.”
Independent watchdog organizations largely agree. For example, one federal agency investigated a week-long power outage in 2019 that left more than 1,600 inmates in freezing temperatures and denied them the opportunity to speak to their lawyers. Another organization, American Oversight, released public records pointing to excessive force, delays in medical care and sanitation problems.
Despite the harsh conditions, Bankman-Fried decided to stay at the MDC after his conviction in November 2023, arguing that he would be closer to his lawyers while preparing his appeal.
Diddy joins G Lock and “Gangster” Bankman-Fried
Combs has only recently been in prison after authorities arrested him last week on charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit organized crime and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. He pleaded not guilty, but a judge ordered him to be remanded to a detention center without bail.
According to the source familiar with the matter, Combs and Bankman-Fried are both being held in an area of the MDC designated for inmates who require special protection, such as prominent inmates and collaborators, including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández. The source described the unit as self-contained, saying it is about the size of a basketball court with bunk beds and houses about 20 inmates. It is still considered a regular detention facility, but offers additional protection. Inmates housed in the unit are not allowed to enter other public spaces, such as the cafeteria, according to the source.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told NBC: “For privacy and security reasons, FBOP does not disclose prison conditions, including housing or internal security measures for individual detainees.”
It’s unclear how long Bankman-Fried has been housed in the unit, and a spokesperson for the FTX founder did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Influencer Tiffany Fong shared the first photo of Bankman-Fried in the MDC last February, in which the former billionaire stands next to four other inmates, wearing a baggy shirt and gym shorts.
One of his roommates, a former Bloods gang member named G Lock, told Fong that Bankman-Fried didn’t shower often and had become “thin as a toothpick,” adding, “Sam is a gangster.”
