It has been revealed that a major operation involving multiple federal agencies is underway at the prison housing Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are among the agencies involved in the “interagency operation” taking place at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City.
Investigators from both groups were seen walking into the Brooklyn jail Monday morning along with several other law enforcement agencies, as it has come under recent scrutiny for incidents of violence.
A subsequent statement from the Bureau of Prisons attempted to explain the operation, saying it is “designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed in [the facility].’
The agency added that there is no active threat following incidents of violence and death. In addition to Diddy, the prison is home to R. Kelly and Sam Bankman-Fried, and previous tenants include Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
A major operation involving federal agencies such as the DEA and the FBI is currently underway at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The Brooklyn jail is seen here in 2019
Diddy – seen here in an Oct. 10 court sketch – was jailed there last month. For the most part, it is used as a post-arrest detention site for those awaiting federal trial
Other agencies involved included the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the DEA, the FBI, the NYPD and the U.S. Border Patrol, the statement showed.
“The U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons and other… agencies are conducting a pre-planned joint operation to improve the safe environment for employees and incarcerated individuals,” it said.
Released just before 9 a.m., observers witnessed officers descending on the facility, which holds about 1,200 inmates.
It is largely used as a post-arrest detention site for those awaiting trial in the city’s federal courts, as is the case with rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
His criminal trial will take place in May, where he will face allegations that he abused, threatened and coerced women and several others as part of an elaborate racketeering conspiracy.
Other allegations against the rapper – whose real name is Sean Combs – include sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice, all following a lengthy investigation.
He was there barely a month, around the time the FBI charged nine other inmates in connection with a wave of attacks that plagued the prison from April to August.
Diddy – whose real name is Sean Combs 0, is one of approximately 1,200 inmates locked up in the infamous prison
The prison has seen numerous cases of inmate deaths and violence over the years and is managed by the Bureau of Prisons
The agency said the operation was “pre-planned” and there is currently no active threat. It comes amid a spate of incidents and negative reports from the jail, the only federal prison in the five boroughs.
News of the charges brought attention to conditions at the prison, as it remains the only federal prison in the five boroughs.
Reports of horrific conditions, rampant violence and several deaths have since emerged, including those surrounding two prisoners who were stabbed to death and another stabbed in the spine with a makeshift ice pick.
Because such incidents do occur, prison expert Larry Levine told DailyMail.com last week. Diddy will receive daily visits from a psychological team for his mental health as he will be stuck there for at least another seven months – mostly in solitary.
“He’s not actually on suicide watch, but my inside source there tells me that someone comes by several times a day to visit him, you know, just to make sure he’s okay,” Levine said Friday in the episode of The Trial of Diddy.
He added: ‘Someone from the psychology department comes to visit him, so it’s like a game they play with the prisoners. Remember, he doesn’t play chess. He’s alone in a cell.’
Such is the case with FTX founder Bankman-Fried and fellow rapper Kelly, who are both in the midst of more than 20 years in prison.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and fellow rapper R. Kelly are also imprisoned there, both in the midst of massive sentences of at least 20 years.
Diddy could face an even worse fate next spring, as the racketeering charge carries a maximum prison sentence of life in prison.
Diddy could face an even worse fate next spring, as the racketeering charge carries a maximum prison sentence of life in prison.
The count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion also carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the count of transportation for the purpose of prostitution carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Unit, along with U.S. Attorneys Meredith Foster, Emily A. Johnson, Christy Slavik, Madison Reddick Smyser and Mitzi Steiner.
Meanwhile, Combs’ lawyers are still trying to get him out of jail and have filed an appeal with the 2nd US Circuit Court after two judges denied his bail. The case will be discussed during the hearing on November 4.
“He lives a lonely existence,” Levine said of Combs. “He’s got a target on his back and you know… the fact is he’s got too many people.
“Someone will have to get him out and it won’t be the prisoners because they can’t reach him.”
