Sean “Diddy” Combs was behind bars throughout his 2025 sex trafficking trial. While in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, the 55-year-old music mogul awaited trial for months, and after it began in May 2025, a jury found him not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy but guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense team argued for his immediate release, which is in the judge’s hands now. So, how was Diddy’s time in jail leading up to the verdict?
Below, read on to find out what life was life for Diddy at MDC Brooklyn and how long he could serve time in jail.
How Many Years Is Diddy Facing in Jail?
Since being found guilty of two of the lesser charges, Diddy is not expected to serve life in prison. However, he could be sentenced between 10 to 20 years for the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
A legal expert, however, weighed in about Diddy’s potential sentencing, telling the New York Post that he might only get several months behind bars rather than years.
“The convictions for interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution likely will lead to a sentence that will be measured in months, not years,” former federal prosecutor former federal prosecutor Mitchell Epner told the outlet on July 2, 2025. “The starting point under the US Sentencing Guidelines will be a sentencing range of 15 to 21 months.”
BREAKING: Sean “Diddy” Combs found guilty on just 2 of the 5 charges in his s*x trafficking trial.
“The defense won three acquittals, with Combs found guilty of the Mann Act transportation of former girlfriends Cassie Ventura and ‘Jane’,” NBC reported.
Diddy was found not… pic.twitter.com/Q0tj9jhapQ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 2, 2025
Why Was Diddy on Suicide Watch at MDC Brooklyn?
Combs was placed in federal custody in New York City in September 2024, with guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center closely monitoring him, multiple sources confirmed to People. One source described the suicide watch as “procedural for high-profile clients.” The facility has previously held public figures such as R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Representing the singer, Marc Agnifilo and Teny R. Geragos wrote in a bail proposal rejected by two Manhattan judges earlier this week that the Brooklyn facility is “not fit for pre-trial detention,” describing the conditions as “horrific.”
Cameron Lindsay, a retired warden of MDC Brooklyn and an expert witness in corrections, noted, “His celebrity status and the allegations of violence against women make him a very attractive target for assault.”
“In the subculture of jails and prisons, delivering a hit on someone like him would be considered a badge of honor,” Lindsay added.
What Is MDC Brooklyn?
MDC Brooklyn is a federal detention facility located in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, housing both male and female inmates. According to CNN, Combs is being held alone in the Special Housing Unit at MDC Brooklyn, which is separate from the general inmate population and designated for inmates needing protection.
Lindsay described the facility as “austere” and “cold,” explaining that Diddy would not have access to the internet, and any outdoor recreational time would be spent in an enclosed area.
Rally outside MDC Brooklyn, where we first reported poor heating and a power issue that has kept inmates confined to cold cells without lights since Sunday. Inmates pound windows as a brass band plays and people chant outside. pic.twitter.com/5FMGQpSpaF
— Annie Correal (@anniecorreal) February 2, 2019
In a phone interview, R. Kelly’s lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, described Kelly’s time at the Brooklyn facility as “mentally crippling” and “one of the worst experiences I have ever heard of.”
“If Diddy is going to experience anything like what R. Kelly went through, it’s not going to be good,” Blank Becker said, expressing her belief that the jail is “not at all” safe. “Daily, we were concerned about whether R. Kelly was alive, frankly,” she added. “It is inhumane—a whole other world. I mean, grown men cry.”
When Was Diddy Imprisoned at MDC Brooklyn?
Diddy was being held at MDC Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest after being denied bail. During his court appearance to offer a $50 million bond, a judge ruled that he must remain in custody as his case proceeds.
Agnifilo stated that they plan to appeal the judge’s ruling. Speaking to reporters, the attorney emphasized that his client came to New York “to turn himself in” to comply with the law. “Why doesn’t the government want him to turn himself in? Because then they can’t ask for detention,” Agnifilo claimed. “All we can do is show good faith. He got on a plane and came here. They arrested a guy who came here to turn himself in.”
Combs was accused of orchestrating a “criminal enterprise” through his business that perpetuated “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.” Additionally, he is alleged to have threatened and coerced “women and those around him to fulfill his sexual desires” by participating in “Freak Offs,” which involved recorded forced sexual acts. Federal agents claimed they seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricants from Combs’ homes, which were used in these acts.
He was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy but guilty of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
