Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was arrested last week on allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, is being housed in the same living space of a federal detention center in Brooklyn as disgraced former crypto exec Sam Bankman-Fried, three sources familiar with the matter tell NBC New York.
Combs and SBF, as Fried is commonly known, are both being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The sources describe the unit as a barrack-style area currently housing about 18-20 inmates. These inmates range from high profile defendants, like Combs, to cooperators – inmates who may require special protection.
The area is separate from the overall general population unit, but is common/shared living space, sources tell NBC New York.
Combs was denied bail last week as he awaits trial on the federal charges. The music mogul has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. He has remained in custody in New York City since his arrest Sept. 16 at his Manhattan hotel by federal agents.
“To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” a statement from his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo read at the time. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said: “For privacy, safety, and security reasons the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) does not provide information about conditions of confinement, including housing assignments or internal security practices for any particular incarcerated individual. “
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the securities fraud conspiracy that doomed his cryptocurrency exchange and a related hedge fund, Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried, 32, was found guilty of fraud in Nov. 2023 and sentenced to 25 years in prison by a judge in March 2024.
U.S. prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried and other top executives of looting customer accounts on the crypto exchange FTX to make risky investments, make millions of dollars of illegal political donations, bribe Chinese officials and buy luxury real estate in the Caribbean.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.