As reported by Fortune, Sean “Diddy” Combs and the former FTX crypto exchange CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried—two once influential personalities in their domains—now find themselves sharing a dormitory at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
Difficult Circumstances At The Metropolitan Detention Center
Sean Combs, an acclaimed rapper and music producer, was arrested last week facing serious accusations, including sex trafficking and a racketeering conspiracy. Although “Diddy” has pleaded not guilty, the court has mandated his continued detention without bail.
In contrast, Sam Bankman-Fried, the former billionaire founder of the fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been incarcerated at MDC since August 2023. His detention came after a federal judge revoked his bail due to the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive diary entries from his ex-girlfriend and employee Caroline Ellison.
Bankman-Fried faces charges associated with the dramatic downfall of FTX, which was previously valued at over $30 billion. Nevertheless, his defense team has expressed worries about their limited access to essential resources for his legal representation, noting that he has been subsisting on scant provisions.
According to the report, conditions at MDC have drawn criticism from human rights advocates, who label the setting as “harsh and restrictive.” The facility has been scrutinized for its treatment of inmates, including a 2019 power outage that reportedly left over 1,600 detainees in alleged “freezing conditions” without access to legal assistance.
Allegations of excessive force, delayed medical care, and inadequate sanitation have also surfaced from independent monitoring organizations keeping watch on the facility.
Combs and the Former FTX CEO Occupy Shared Dorm
Both Combs and Bankman-Fried are currently located in a segment of MDC intended for high-profile detainees and those needing extra protection. This region is described as self-contained and roughly the size of a basketball court, accommodating about 20 inmates in bunk beds.
While it is considered part of the general population, the report indicates that it provides greater security than the public areas of the facility, with inmates not having access to shared areas like the cafeteria.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has opted not to comment on specific conditions or housing situations due to privacy and security protocols. It remains uncertain how long Bankman-Fried will stay in this unit, and his representatives have not replied to requests for comment regarding his current status.
In an unusual turn of events, a dorm mate reported that Bankman-Fried has not been adhering to hygiene standards, claiming he is becoming “skinny like a toothpick” and referring to him as “a gangster.”
As of this writing, FTX’s native token, FTT, is priced at $1.36, reflecting gains of 5.5%, and just over 2% over the past seven and fourteen days, respectively.
Featured image sourced from NBC, chart from TradingView.com
