Diddy and SBF: Unlikely Cellmates

According to a report by Fortune, Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the former CEO of the collapsed FTX crypto exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried, are now sharing a dormitory at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. The two once-prominent figures in their respective fields find themselves in unexpected proximity.

Sean Combs, a rapper and music producer, was arrested last week on serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Combs has pleaded not guilty to these allegations but was ordered to remain in custody without the possibility of bond.

The United States Attorney's Office Southern District of New York alleges that the Grammy award-winning producer abused and coerced women and others, leading a racketeering conspiracy involving a variety of illegal activities.

Conversely, Sam Bankman-Fried, the former multi-billionaire founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been an inmate at MDC since August 2023. His detention followed a federal judge's decision to revoke his bail after he leaked sensitive diary entries from his former employee and girlfriend, Caroline Ellison.

Bankman-Fried is facing a trial related to the spectacular collapse of FTX, which was once valued at over $30 billion. His legal team has voiced concerns over inadequate access to necessary resources for his defense, highlighting that he has been living on minimal sustenance.

Harsh Conditions at MDC

Conditions at MDC have been criticized by human rights advocates, who describe the environment as 'harsh and limiting.'

The facility has faced scrutiny for its treatment of inmates, including a power outage in 2019 that left over 1,600 detainees in alleged 'freezing conditions' without access to legal counsel.

Independent watchdogs monitoring the facility have also reported excessive force, delayed medical care, and poor sanitation.

Combs and Bankman-Fried are housed in a section of MDC designated for high-profile inmates and those requiring additional protection.

This area is described as self-contained and approximately the size of a basketball court, accommodating around 20 inmates with bunk beds. While it is still considered general population, it offers more security than public areas of the facility, and inmates do not access communal spaces like the cafeteria.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has refrained from commenting on specific conditions or housing assignments due to privacy and security protocols. It remains unclear how long Bankman-Fried will continue to reside in this unit, and his spokesperson has not responded to inquiries regarding his current situation.

In a strange twist, a dorm mate reported that Bankman-Fried has not been maintaining personal hygiene, describing him as becoming 'skinny like a toothpick' and referring to him as 'a gangster.'

FTX's Ongoing Saga

At the time of writing, FTX's native token, FTT, is trading at $1.36. Over the seven- and fourteen-day periods, it recorded gains of 5.5% and just over 2%, respectively.

Following the collapse in late 2022, details emerged about how tightly interwoven the leadership team was across FTX and sister firm Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried, former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison and other executives lived in a Bahamas penthouse polycule—a romantic network of overlapping sexual relationships.

Ellison, who will be sentenced later Tuesday for her role in the FTX debacle, had previously written about race science and 'imperial Chinese harem' polyamory on a Tumblr blog two years before the companies folded.