Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, after being charged with sex trafficking, extortion, and transportation into prostitution early last month.
Combs, 54, who was denied bail by a judge and pleaded not guilty to all charges, was arrested Sept. 16 and is now awaiting trial.
The American hip-hop mogul is known for his lavish lifestyle, but what is life for one of the world’s biggest stars really like in prison?
Former Married at First Sight star Timothy Smith, who previously served time in a US federal prison, says Diddy’s current prison conditions are bleak.
Smith said that despite Diddy’s wealth and status, prison life does not offer any “special treatment.”
“Your money and wealth will bring you no benefit,” he told Daily Mail Australia, drawing on his own experiences with high-status inmates.
‘In the federal system, it’s so limited that you don’t get extra privileges because you’re rich. You’re allowed a few basics like a tracksuit and sneakers from the police station, but that’s about it. They raid and if you try to accumulate, they take everything.
Smith painted a bleak picture of life inside the facility, explaining that guards often use solitary confinement as a tool to break inmates.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, after he was charged last month with sex trafficking, extortion, and transportation into prostitution.
Former Married at First Sight star Timothy Smith, who previously served time in a US federal prison, says Diddy’s current prison conditions are bleak.
“He’s in the management unit, so no, he doesn’t have access to other inmates,” he said.
‘People think there are televisions and radios, but where he is there is nothing, not even a radio. You get one Bible and one book per week. That’s all,’ he said.
Smith added that the star will also have very limited access to communication with the outside world.
“You only have 300 minutes a month on the phone,” he said.
‘So if you are talking on the phone for 30 minutes a day, after 10 days, you will have no more phone for the next 20 days.
“Sometimes you run out of minutes for the first week and then you’re left talking to yourself.”
“Your money and wealth will bring you no benefit,” Timothy explained, drawing on his own experiences with high-status inmates.
Smith added that Diddy will have no opportunity to negotiate special treatment while he is incarcerated.
‘Even if I were in the general population, there is not a cell phone or a television. “There will be a hundred people in that module and, usually, there are only a few televisions, segregated by race,” he explained.
“Your wealth won’t help you here, at all.”
According to Smith, Diddy’s future looks bleak.
‘He’s not watching television. And the next time I’m on a plane, it will be with 200 prisoners at ConAir. He’s not going to get out of this easily.
He’s in the management unit, so no, he doesn’t have access to other inmates. People think there are televisions and radios, but where he is there is nothing, not even a radio. You get one Bible and one book per week. That’s all,’ he said.
Diddy’s case is high profile and if convicted, he could face a long sentence.
Once the feds have charged you, they have made their case. The best advice I could give you? Accept where you are. “You can’t negotiate your way out of federal charges,” Smith explained.
‘If you think you’re going to beat them, they’ll take you down.
“In my experience, three guys took their cases to trial thinking they could win, and ended up with much worse sentences than they would have received if they had taken a plea deal.”
In 2006, Smith was arrested for drug trafficking after flying marijuana across the Canada-United States border, using his skills as a pilot.
Despite earning a lucrative sum for his crimes, Smith’s operation came to an end when he was captured by US customs officials, leading to a one-year prison sentence, which was extended due to immigration complications.
In 2006, Timothy was arrested for drug trafficking after flying marijuana across the Canada-United States border, using his skills as a pilot.