10
Loading video...
By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Federal investigators launched an "interagency operation" Monday at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center where music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is currently held.
Personnel from multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons and the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General, arrived at the facility as part of the initiative, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement to Newsweek.
The Bureau says the Brooklyn operation was pre-planned and there is "no active threat."
Read More on News
The operation is "designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed at MDC Brooklyn," the agency said.
"We will provide additional information at the conclusion of the operation," they added.
...
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Combs for comment.
As scrutiny intensifies over the conditions at the notoriously rough MDC Brooklyn, the Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons are ramping up efforts to address mounting violence, dire living conditions, and repeated inmate deaths. This latest move comes amid heightened calls for accountability and reform at the troubled facility.
Federal prosecutors recently brought charges against nine inmates for a string of violent incidents at the MDC between April and August, highlighting the alarming state of security. The charges, announced last month, include two inmate stabbings that proved fatal and a brutal attack in which an inmate was left paralyzed after being struck with a makeshift icepick.
Alongside these incidents, a correctional officer faces separate charges related to a high-speed chase during which he allegedly discharged his weapon at another vehicle without authorization.
The MDC Brooklyn, New York City's only federal detention center, has come under fire for what critics describe as "horrific conditions." This joint operation by federal agencies reflects a concerted effort to curb violence, ensure safety, and implement crucial reforms within the facility.
There are currently 1,176 inmates at MDC Brooklyn, including Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange.
...
Inmates at the facility have voiced serious complaints about the situation, describing overcrowding, inadequate staff, and rampant drug and contraband smuggling—some allegedly facilitated by employees. The facility has been under near-constant lockdowns, leaving detainees confined to their cells for extended periods without access to visits, phone calls, showers, or recreation.
Amid these mounting concerns, calls for reform have intensified, with advocates and family members demanding urgent action to address the issues plaguing the MDC.
Combs, 54, is in the Special Housing Unit, removed from the general population, at MDC Brooklyn as he awaits the May 5, 2025, trial in his sex trafficking case.
The "Bad Boy For Life" singer has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denied bail on multiple occasions.
Last week, seven more John or Jane Does filed lawsuits against Combs accusing him of drugging them and raping them between 2000 and 2022.
This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines