Sean “Diddy” Combs was transferred Thursday to Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, to begin serving the remainder of his prostitution-related sentence, marking a significant shift from the harsher conditions he’d endured over the past year.
The music mogul, who was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, requested the Fort Dix facility to take advantage of its drug treatment program and to be close to his family. It’s a far cry from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he’d been held since September 2024, a facility notorious for its tough conditions.
Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison and levied a $500,000 fine on the rapper during an October 3 hearing that brought one of hip hop’s most dramatic legal sagas to a dramatic conclusion. The sentence fell between what prosecutors wanted (11 years) and what his defense team requested (14 months).
With the 13 months he’s already served at MDC Brooklyn being credited toward his sentence, along with any additional credit for drug treatment participation, Combs will serve about two and a half years at Fort Dix. That puts his projected release date at May 8, 2028, though the Bureau of Prisons notes that date could shift based on various factors.
The transfer to Fort Dix represents a strategic choice for Combs and his legal team. Fort Dix has housed other tabloid fixtures including Joe Giudice, a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”. There’s also something almost mundane about the commissary details that have emerged, where inmates can buy rice cakes for $5.75 and Pop Tarts for $2.85.
After his release, Combs will face five years of supervised release with strict conditions, including regular meetings with his probation officer, drug testing, and participation in outpatient programs for mental health and domestic violence treatment.
Combs’ legal team is appealing his conviction and sentence, and this week asked a federal appeals court to set an expedited schedule. There’s also the matter of a potential presidential pardon. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Combs asked for one, though no decision has been made yet.
The case itself was built around allegations that spanned years. In July, Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, though he was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution. The trial featured testimony from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another woman identified only as Jane.
During sentencing, Combs addressed the court and called his actions “disgusting, shameful and sick,” apologizing to victims and “all the victims of domestic violence”. His daughters also spoke, pleading with the judge to give their family a chance to heal together.
For now, though, Combs begins this new chapter behind the walls of Fort Dix, where he’ll have access to the rehabilitation programs his legal team argued he desperately needs.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
