From SBF to Al Sharpton: The infamous inmates of MDC, where Diddy is awaiting trial

The prison has a notorious reputation and a long list of notorious alums, past and present

The Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn (Getty Images)

Far from his sprawling mansion in Miami, Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently residing in Brooklyn in substantially less opulent conditions.

As he awaits trial following his arrest for sex trafficking and racketeering charges in New York on Monday, the rapper is currently at Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, a notorious prison with a brutal reputation for its barbaric living conditions and a long list of equally notable residents, past and present.

The MDC, which houses 1,200 people has a reputation for horrific living conditions — from reports of maggot-infested food to rats crawling through cells to massive power outages — and violence, including deadly stabbings and, reportedly, four recent deaths by suicide.

The 30-year-old facility has hosted a number of high-profile criminals, including crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, sexual abuser R. Kelly, and rappers Fetty Wap and Tekashi69. Allison Mack, the former “Smallville” actress and a high-ranking member of the cult NXIVM, was held there.

Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who groomed young women for him, did time in MDC. Notably, Epstein killed himself in a sister jail in Manhattan, which closed in 2021 because terrible conditions too.

Others that have had the dishonor of staying at the MDC include “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer-turned-talking-head Michael Cohen, and gay porn star Austin Wolf, who was recently arrested for possessing and distributing hundreds of videos of child pornography.

For Diddy, it’s likely he will spend several more nights at the MDC as a federal defendant awaiting trial in Manhattan.

Here is a partial list of some of MDC’s more notable and notorious inmates over the years:

Al Sharpton
Baptist minister, political activist
Sharpton was convicted of trespassing on federal property in 2001 for protesting against the U.S. military presence on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. He served 90 days.

Allison Mack
Actress
The former “Smallville” star pled guilty in 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy as part of NXIVM cult. She was released to home confinement in 2018

Austin Wolf
Adult entertainer
Arrested in June 2024 and charged with possessing and distributing hundreds of videos of child pornography, Wolf, whose real name is Justin Heath Smith is currently being held without bail.

Fetty Wap
Rapper
Charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, Fetty Wap is currently serving a 72 month sentence at a different facility.

Ghislaine Maxwell
Former socialite
Maxwell was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in connection with the deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Currently serving a 20-year sentence in another facility.

Ja Rule
Rapper
Jeffrey Atkins, better known as Ja Rule, served a 28-month prison sentence for federal tax evasion and was released in 2013.

Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado
Former president of Honduras, drug trafficker
In April of this year the former president was extradited to the United States and subsequently convicted on three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy.

Keith Raniere
Sex cult leader
The founder of the NXIVM sex cult was convicted in 2019 for two counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, forced labor conspiracy, attempted sex trafficking and wire fraud conspiracy. He was Sentenced to 120 years in prison and is now at USP Tucson.

Martin Shkreli
Pharma bro
The former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals was convicted in 2017 of securities fraud. His bail was revoked after he offering his followers $5,000 for Hillary Clinton’s hair in a Facebook post. He was moved to FCI Allenwood Low, a low-security federal prison in Pennsylvania, and released on May 18, 2022.

Michael Cohen
Former Trump Organization lawyer
Cohen was found guilty in 2018 tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, willfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution, an excessive campaign contribution, making false statements to a congressional committee. He is currently serving a three-year sentence in home confinement.

R. Kelly
Singer
The disgraced R&B superstar is currently serving a 31-year sentence, now at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina, for racketeering, child sexual abuse, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking. He is scheduled for release in 2045.

Sam Bankman-Fried
Crypto entrepreneur
Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years for wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering in relation to the collapse of now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Tekashi69
Rapper
Daniel Hernandez, best known as chaotic rapper Tekashi69, or Tekashi 6ix9ine, was charged with racketeering and firearm offenses. He was moved to a different facility as a safety precaution and released to home confinement in 2020.