Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has reportedly been moved into solitary confinement after details emerged of an unusually privileged lifestyle he was allegedly enjoying inside a United States federal prison.
According to NBC News, Combs was removed from his dormitory-style accommodation at Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey and placed in the prison’s Special Housing Unit, commonly known as solitary confinement.
The development followed a report alleging that the Bad Boy Records founder had been spending thousands of dollars monthly to maintain a luxury lifestyle behind bars.
Four former inmates who reportedly spent time in the same unit as Combs alleged that he had access to contraband, including mobile phones and premium liquor such as Hennessy.
They also claimed the music executive paid fellow prisoners to prepare special meals, wash his clothes, make his bed, clean toilet and shower areas before he used them and even give him massages.
“This is not some normal s— you see in jail. This is some rich s—,” one former inmate said.
Images and videos obtained from inside the facility reportedly included footage appearing to show Combs using a contraband mobile phone.
Shortly after the allegations became public, Combs was moved to the Special Housing Unit, although the Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to confirm whether the transfer was connected to an investigation.
A spokesperson said the agency does not discuss individual inmates’ housing arrangements, investigations or disciplinary matters for privacy and security reasons.
Prison experts said inmates can be moved to solitary confinement while authorities investigate suspected violations.
Life inside the unit is considerably more restrictive.
Former Fort Dix inmates said prisoners in solitary can remain locked in a cell for at least 23 hours daily, with limited access to commissary items, fewer showers and meals delivered directly to their cells.
They are also required to wear orange prison clothing rather than the khaki uniforms or casual clothing commonly worn elsewhere in the facility.
The reported transfer is not Combs’ first stint in solitary confinement at Fort Dix.
He was previously placed in the unit after an altercation with another inmate and was later removed from a prison drug treatment programme.
Combs arrived at Fort Dix after receiving a 50-month prison sentence for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters.
His trial ended with a split verdict, as jurors acquitted him of the more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering charges while convicting him on transportation-related offences.
