Entertainment
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers want him at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security prison in N.J. that offers drug treatment
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers want the hip-hop mogul sent to a low-security federal prison in New Jersey to serve his four-year, two-month prison sentence, telling a judge Monday that the facility’s drug treatment program will help him stay clean.
In a letter, Combs’ lawyers urged the judge presiding over his case, Arun Subramanian, to “strongly recommend” that the federal Bureau of Prisons place Combs at FCI Fort Dix, a massive prison located on the grounds of the joint military base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
FCI Fort Dix, one of several dozen federal prisons with a residential drug treatment program, will best allow Combs “to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,” Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos wrote. He also cited educational and occupational programs available at the prison, located about 70 miles south of New York City.
The request from Combs’ attorney came after Subramanian asked his lawyers on Friday at the sentencing hearing to let him know their preference for a prison facility.
Also Monday, President Trump told reporters that Combs had asked him for a pardon. Mr. Trump, referring to Combs by the nickname “Puff Daddy,” did not say if he would grant the request. Messages seeking comment on Mr. Trump’s remarks were left for Combs’ lawyers and his publicity team by The Associated Press.
Combs’ sentencing for two prostitution-related charges capped a federal case that featured harrowing testimony about violence, drugs and so-called “freak-offs,” and exposed the sordid private life of one of the most influential figures in music.
While the criminal case against Combs came to an end, he still faces civil lawsuits, including from a former stylist who accused Combs of sexually, physically and emotionally abusing him while he was working for Combs and his label, Bad Boy Entertainment — allegations that Combs has denied, with his legal team calling them “falsehoods.”
Deonte’ Nash alleged he was frightened throughout his roughly decade-long experience working for the music mogul. The 39-year-old stylist claims Combs choked him multiple times, describing one alleged incident that occurred after he went to a restaurant with R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend whose testimony was critical in his conviction.
The “I’ll Be Missing You” singer was convicted in July under the federal Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for any sexual crime. His trial ended in a split verdict, with acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.
Combs has been locked up at a federal jail in Brooklyn, the Metropolitan Detention Center, since his September 2024 arrest. His time there will be subtracted from his sentence, meaning he could get out in about three years.
In a letter to Subramanian on the eve of sentencing, Combs said he has gone through a “spiritual reset” in jail and is “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.”
“I thank God that I’m stronger, wiser, clean, clear and sober,” he wrote.
Subramanian has not yet acted on the request to recommend placement at FCI Fort Dix.
Judges often make recommendations about where inmates should serve time, but it’s up to the Bureau of Prisons to decide. Those decisions, the agency has said, are based on a variety of factors, including the severity of the offense, the required security level and an inmate’s programming needs.
FCI Fort Dix, the largest single federal prison by population with just under 3,900 inmates, is about 64 miles southwest of New York City, where Combs was born and rose to fame as a rapper and entrepreneur in an array of businesses, including fashion, television and liquor. An adjacent minimum-security prison camp has 210 inmates.
Combs once owned a home in New Jersey, selling it nearly a decade ago.
His primary residence, according to court papers, has been a $48 million mansion on an island near Miami. That home and a mansion he owns in Los Angeles were raided by federal agents last year during the investigation that led to his arrest.
FCI Fort Dix has been home to a number of high-profile inmates over the years, including reputed mobsters, drug traffickers, corrupt politicians and Martin Shkreli. For a time, it was run by the warden who had been in charge of a Manhattan federal jail when financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself at the jail in 2019. That warden, Lamine N’Diaye, has since retired.
In 2021, a 27-year-old Fort Dix inmate was stabbed in the eyeball by a fellow prisoner.
In 2019, a Fort Dix inmate, a former inmate and two other people were arrested for using a drone to smuggle in contraband including cellphones, tobacco, weight-loss supplements and eyeglasses. The same year, a Fort Dix correctional officer pleaded guilty in a separate case to pocketing bribes to smuggle in contraband.
During his time at Fort Dix, Shkreli ended up in solitary confinement amid allegations he was using a contraband smartphone to run his drug company from behind bars. Inmates are forbidden from conducting business and possessing cellphones.
Entertainment
SBP raises policy rate by 100bps to 11.5% as inflation risks mount
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) raised its benchmark policy rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 11.5% on Monday, opting for cautious tightening as oil price volatility and renewed inflation risks clouded the economic outlook.
The move came as the Monetary Policy Committee faced a finely balanced decision. A Reuters poll had shown that six of 10 analysts expected the central bank to keep the rate unchanged at 10.5%, while three forecast a 50-basis-point hike and one expected a larger 100-basis-point increase.
Pakistan’s CPI inflation quickened to 7.3% year-on-year in March from 7% in February, breaching the SBP’s 5%–7% target range. Some analysts warned that inflation could move towards double digits in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year if external pressures persisted.
Oil prices have remained volatile due to the Iran-US conflict, keeping global markets on edge and raising concerns over Pakistan’s import bill.
The SBP has cut rates by a cumulative 1,150 basis points since June 2024, when they peaked at a record 22%, and last reduced the rate by 50 basis points in January.
Entertainment
Prince Harry faces unseen threat to Archie, Lilibet: Can’t escape
Prince Harry, who lives in Montecito with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Archie and Lilibet, is said to be taking all measures to protect his children from an unseen threat.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, still can’t rescue himself from the shadow of a formidable incident that took her mother Princess Diana’s life, leaving him with a life-long trauma.
King Charles’ estranged son has spoken candidly about the enduring pain of his mother’s passing at her prime age. she was just 36.
Now, Harry’s deepest concern is that his and Meghan’s children could one day be drawn into the same celebrity spotlight that preceded Princess Diana’s fatal crash in paris in 1997.
Prince William’s younger brother Harry made the remarks during a public discussion on fatherhood at a Movember charity event in Melbourne, Australia.
Speaking on stage about the period before the birth of his son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, now six, in 2019, and daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, four, in 2021, Harry revealed undergoing therapy to address unresolved grief stemming from Diana’s tragic death.
Undoubtedly, Harry’s deep-rooted fear about his own past adds to his worries about his kids.
He’s taking all measures to secure their children from any untoward situation as the spotlight that surrounded Diana is something he has never escaped.
He does not want to live in the fear that his children could also face similar pressures as for Harry, the memory of his mother’s crash isn’t just history. It’s a constant warning.
His biggest fear is that if his children are pulled too far into the celebrity world, they could be exposed to the same dangers that led to his mother’s death, one insider told Radar.
Entertainment
Lexie Brown denies Klay Thompson cheated on Megan Thee Stallion with her
A WNBA star is setting the record straight about her rumoured involvement in Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson’s breakup.
Seattle Storm Guard Lexie Brown has shut down rumours that she was the woman with whom Thompson allegedly cheated on the Grammy-winning rapper.
“I’ve seen what’s being said online, and I want to be clear, none of it is true, and I have no involvement in this situation,” Brown, 31, wrote on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, April 26.
The basketball pro added, “This week marks the start of an important and exciting new season for me, and my focus is fully on that.”
Brown’s clarification came amid a viral claim that she had a part to play in the shocking break-up, which came to light over the weekend.
On Saturday, April 25, Megan Thee Stallion — real name Megan Jovon Ruth Pete — announced that she broke up with the NBA star due to his alleged unfaithfulness and inability to commit to her despite being together for almost a year.
“Cheating, had me around your whole family playing house… got ‘cold feet,’” Megan wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Holding you down through all your HORRIBLE mood swings and treatment towards me during your basketball season now you don’t know if you can be ‘monogamous’????” added Megan.
Shortly afterwards, X user @Areyoudvmb alleged that Brown has been “posting on her close friends messages between Klay and her that Klay was telling her his and Megan’s relationship is just for social media.”
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