Diddy demanded release from prison, citing a reduction in the budgeted food and deteriorating conditions.
allhiphop.com
Since 1998, Allhiphop.com has pioneered hip-hop news. Get our daily email for exclusive news and weekly digestion, all curated for true hip-hop enthusiasts. Stay connected and learn about the heartbeat of hip-hop culture. Subscribe now!
subscription
Diddy demanded his release from federal custody, claiming cruel living conditions and excessive government divisions turned his time at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center into a nightmare.
In a letter filed on Sunday (August 3), Didi’s legal team urged Judge Aron Subanian to approve bail ahead of the October 3 sentencing.
The hip-hop tycoon was acquitted last month on sexual trafficking and extortion charges, but was detained under the fewer charges under the Mann Act, which criminalized individuals transporting across states to commit illegal sexual acts.
His lawyers believe that the government punished him more severely than others, despite the jury clearing the worst charges.
“For him to punish him as a user of prostitution services in a more severe way than anyone in U.S. history, the letter states. “It still makes a statement of facts despite the jury’s verdict, which clearly does not match what the twelve New Yorkers found, even though the jury rejected serious charges that initially led to his pretrial detention, even if the jury refused serious charges.”
The document also depicts grim pictures of MDC’s internal life, citing frequent lockdowns, poor medical treatment and unsanitary foods.
“The MDC will usually provide expired and intrusive food … despite government requests, lockdowns are still common,” the letter reads.
Didi’s lawyers said the conditions at the facility were further deteriorated due to cuts in the federal budget. They mentioned a case in which 25 inmates and a former corrections officer were charged with smuggling and violence in the prison.
The letter continued: “The living conditions of the MDC remain inhumane and the situation has been exacerbated by the cuts in the federal budget.”
They also believe Didi posed no threat during his detention, noting his record of cleaning behavior during his 11-month jail term.
The letter added: “Violent people are violent in prisons, too. Sean Combs has no violence in all kinds of ways.”
The defense stressed that the seven-year-old father remained committed to his family and was actively involved in his legal defense.
The government has not yet responded publicly.
