 "US rapper Sean \"Diddy\" Combs, currently in custody, is scheduled to appear in court today for the next status hearing in his case.")
Federal authorities confirmed on Saturday that they have seized drugs, homemade weapons and electronic devices during a sweep of the jail where Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held on sex trafficking conspiracy charges. The infamous rapper is imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, and his case is scheduled to go on trial next year.
The Bureau of Prisons, which headed up the interagency sweep of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn began the process on Monday. The authority noted that the move was not related to Combs’s detention but was “preplanned and coordinated to ensure the safety and security” of staff and inmates.
The jail houses 1,200 inmates and has been under renewed scrutiny after two men were fatally stabbed over the summer. Five inmates were later charged with the murder in the case. Meanwhile, four other detainees and a guard were also charged with assault over an incident that included a man who was stabbed 44 times by three gang members.
The infamous detention centre
In recent years, the detention centre has held Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and currently holds cryptocurrency swindler Sam Bankman-Fried along with Combs. In the past, Diddy’s lawyers have asked for bail due to the poor conditions in the jail.
While the music impresario is facing over a dozen civil claims of sexual assault, he has asked the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals to grant his release after twice being denied bail by two separate judges in Manhattan. The argument regarding this will be held on Monday.
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department said the requests were “a thinly veiled attempt to restrict the government’s proof at this early stage of the case and to hijack the criminal proceeding so the defendant can respond to civil lawsuits” and “poses to witness security”.
Earlier, American tabloid TMZ, published what it said was a non-disclosure agreement that Combs asked party-goers to sign for attending one of his notorious gatherings, or “freak offs”.The document barred signatories from taking photographs, filming or recording Diddy or anyone in his orbit without his written consent. The NDA also names specific social media sites where attendees can’t post photos without Combs’s permission.
With inputs from agencies.