Sean “Diddy” Combs has requested to serve his time behind bars at Fort Dix, a low-security prison in New Jersey that once housed other high-profile inmates, such as Martin Shkreli, better known as “Pharma Bro.”
The rapper was sentenced to 50 months — four years and two months — behind bars and fined $500,000 after a jury convicted him of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July. His attorneys have said he plans to appeal his sentence.
“In order to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts, we request that the Court strongly recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that Mr. Combs be placed at FCI Fort Dix for [Residential Drug Abuse Program] purposes and any other available educational and occupational programs,” Teny Geragos, one of Diddy’s lawyers, wrote in a filing to the judge on Monday.
The eight-week trial highlighted the rapper’s years-long drug addiction and history of domestic violence.
During a dramatic six-hour hearing that included emotional pleas for a lenient sentence from his six adult children and the mogul himself, Diddy’s attorneys repeatedly suggested their client was a “changed” man who should be getting mental health treatment and be enrolled in domestic violence and substance abuse programs.
Fort Dix is the largest single federal prison in the United States, housing 4,100 men. The federal correctional institution houses 3,800 inmates while the minimum security satellite camp next door holds 200 inmates.
It’s located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, just 75 miles outside of New York City. It’s a low-security prison, meaning it has double-fenced perimeters, mostly dormitory or cubicle housing and “strong work and program components,” according to the Bureau of Prisons.
If the judge grants his request, it appears the mogul — a multimillionaire— will have a variety of food options. The commissary offers pork rinds, plantain chips, Doritos, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and even octopus.
Several high-profile inmates have done time there including:
- Martin Shkreli, dubbed “Pharma Bro,” was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for securities fraud and securities fraud conspiracy in 2018 related to raising the price of a life-saving drug mainly used by those with HIV/AIDs.
- Instagram influencer Ray Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, was sentenced to 135 months — more than 11 years — in 2022 for conspiring to launder tens of millions of dollars from online scams.
- Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, who appeared on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” was sentenced to 41 months in 2014 on fraud charges and failure to file a tax return.
- Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit and former Michigan state representative, in 2013 was sentenced to 28 years for racketeering conspiracy, extortion, bribery and fraud charges.
- Joe Ganim, the former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was sentenced in 2003 to nine years for charges of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, extortion, mail fraud, bribery, and conspiracy.
- Steven Hoffenberg, Jeffrey Epstein’s mentor, was sentenced to 20 years in 1997 for a Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of investors out of $460 million.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that Diddy asked for a pardon, referring to the Grammy winner as “Puff Daddy.”
The pair have known each other for decades. Trump mentioned Diddy in a 2012 episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, calling him a “good friend” and a “good guy.” Meanwhile, the rapper told the Washington Post in 2015 that Trump is a “friend of mine, and he works very hard,” months after the Republican launched his 2016 presidential bid.
The rapper was cleared of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but was found guilty of the two prostitution-related charges.
For eight weeks, Diddy’s former associates and ex-girlfriends revealed shocking allegations about his sex life, pattern of domestic abuse and drug addiction.
At the sentencing hearing, the mogul apologized to Cassie Ventura and Jane, both of whom testified about being forced to participate in sex marathons called “Freak Offs” and enduring his domestic violence.
“I got lost in my journey of life. I’m not this larger than life person, I’m just a human being,” he told Judge Arun Subramanian.
The prosecution had asked for 135 months in prison while his defense lawyers had asked for 14 months. The judge said he believes the 50-month sentence, in part, sends “a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
Subramanian praised Ventura, Jane and other victims for speaking out during the trial. “Nothing about this case was good — except the victims who came forward,” he said.
