Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly on suicide watch in jail after twice being denied bail following his arrest for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
However, according to his attorney, Combs is not suicidal and it was a routine measure for “new, high-profile inmates.”
The rap mogul, 54, was said to be in shock as he awaits trial at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to People, Combs has been designated for suicide watch as a preventative measure because his mental state was “unclear.”
Lawyer Marc Agnifilo told TMZ that although Combs was placed on suicide watch, he spent six hours with him on Wednesday and his client was “strong, healthy, confident and focused on his defense.”
Most of the 1600 inmates at the New York prison are being held pending trials and the center is notorious for its tough, dangerous conditions.
In the unsuccessful motion for bail filed by Combs’ attorneys on Tuesday, they wrote: “Several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention. Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered. At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years.”
TMZ previously reported that Combs was being held in the Special Housing Unit away from the general prison population as a precaution because his celebrity status has made him a “target” behind bars where inmates could see killing him as a “badge of honor.”
Celebrities including rapper R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein’s “lieutenant” Ghislaine Maxwell, and crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried have been held at the MDC.
On Tuesday, a judge denied Combs bail, citing flight risk, anger issues, and substance abuse as the reasons.
The hip-hop tycoon was arrested at a New York hotel on Monday night after he spent a day with friends in the city apparently unaware of his plight. The unsealed indictment accuses him of forcing female victims to take part in “freak-offs”, which were described as “elaborate and produced sex performances” that were sometimes filmed without the participants’ permission.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has requested a transfer to a prison in New Jersey, said People.
The next hearing in the case is set for September 24.
