Bitrabo Editorial
As reported by Fortune, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, the former head of FTX, are now residing in the same dormitory at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, NY.
Conditions at MDC Under Scrutiny
Rapper and producer Sean Combs was arrested last week on serious allegations including sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Despite pleading not guilty, he has been ordered to stay in custody without bail.
On the other hand, Sam Bankman-Fried has been in detention since August 2023 after a judge revoked his bail due to the release of private diary entries from his ex-colleague and girlfriend, Caroline Ellison. His upcoming trial involves the downfall of FTX, which once had a valuation exceeding $30 billion. His legal team has expressed concerns about limited access to vital resources for his defense, claiming he has been living on insufficient food.
The MDC has faced criticism from human rights advocates, who label the conditions as “harsh and limiting.” Previous incidents have tarnished the facility’s reputation, including a 2019 power outage that left over 1,600 inmates in “freezing conditions” without legal access. Additionally, reports of excessive force, slow medical assistance, and unsanitary conditions have been documented by independent monitors.
Shared Dormitory for High-Profile Inmates
Both Combs and Bankman-Fried are located in a specialized section of the MDC for high-profile detainees who require extra security. This area resembles a self-contained unit about the size of a basketball court, holding around 20 inmates with bunk beds.
While still categorized as general population, this section is deemed more secure than other areas, restricting access to communal facilities like the cafeteria.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has not disclosed specific information about the living conditions or assignments of inmates due to privacy and security regulations. It is uncertain how much longer Bankman-Fried will stay in his current environment, and his representatives have not responded to questions regarding his status.
In an intriguing detail reported by a fellow inmate, Bankman-Fried is reportedly neglecting his hygiene, and one described him as becoming “skinny like a toothpick,” referring to him as “a gangster.”
As of now, the FTX native token FTT trades at $1.36, seeing an increase of 5.5%, with slight rises over the past week and fortnight.
Image provided by NBC, with market data sourced from TradingView.com.