Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team is determined to get him out of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, where he’s being held while awaiting trial.
The facility, known for its rough conditions, has housed other high-profile inmates like R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I’m not going to let him sit in that jail a day longer than he has to,” defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said outside a New York federal courtroom on Wednesday.
Combs’ lawyers initially requested house arrest with a $50 million bond, proposing that Diddy stay in his Miami mansion under strict security, with no access to cellphones, the internet, or women other than family members.
However, U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter denied the request, stating that the arrangement wasn’t sufficient to release him before trial.
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MDC’s Troubling Conditions
The MDC has a notorious reputation, with reports of violence, poor conditions, and lack of adequate supervision.
Combs’ attorneys argued that the lockup isn’t fit for pre-trial detention, pointing out the stark differences between Diddy’s case and those of Kelly and Maxwell, who were also held at the facility while facing sex trafficking charges.
“Sean Combs has never run from a challenge in his life, and he won’t start now,” Agnifilo and co-counsel Teny Geragos wrote in a letter to the court.
Combs’ legal team emphasized that his case does not involve trafficking minors, unlike Kelly’s and Maxwell’s.
They added that Combs has been fully cooperative throughout the investigation, even keeping prosecutors informed of all his domestic flights and moving into a Manhattan hotel knowing that charges were likely on the way.
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A Dangerous Environment
Combs’ lawyers expressed serious concerns over the MDC’s history of violence, citing past killings, stabbings, and poor medical care. A judge recently described the facility as plagued by “catastrophic violence” and unsanitary conditions, adding that it’s unsuitable for pre-trial detention.
The MDC houses around 1,800 inmates, and prosecutors have alleged instances of sexual assaults by guards on female inmates. Combs has been under federal investigation since earlier this year and was arrested in New York on Monday.
On Tuesday, prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging him with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty, but his request for bail has been denied.
Disturbing Allegations
According to the indictment, Combs and his associates are accused of luring women, often under the guise of romantic relationships, and forcing them into sex acts using threats, coercion, and drugs like ketamine and ecstasy.
These encounters, referred to as “freak offs,” were allegedly elaborate and sometimes lasted for days, with Combs directing and often recording the events.
The indictment outlines a disturbing pattern of behavior that prosecutors say continued from 2009 until this year, with the hotel rooms where the incidents occurred often sustaining significant damage.
As his trial looms, Diddy’s legal team remains committed to securing his release from MDC, continuing their fight in the courtroom.