Party's Over

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Speaker 8 In the summer of 2009, everyone was paying attention to Sean Diddy Combs.

Speaker 2 He wasn't on the top of the billboard charts anymore, but he had become a fixture of American pop culture.

Speaker 13 The flashiest example was his annual star-studded white party.

Speaker 14 It was an exclusive event, and everything had to be white, from the decor to the dress code.

Speaker 11 This was the early days of smartphones. Imagine every celebrity worth an us weekly headline with a bedazzled smartphone in their hand.

Speaker 19 It was before TikTok and Instagram, when tabloid coverage claimed to break juicy celebrity stories.

Speaker 13 Compared to the prominence of video and social media today, private celebrity parties were much more private.

Speaker 5 But one bit of Diddy's 2009 white party was captured on video.

Speaker 24 Rapper and record producer Jay Blaze caught it on camera and posted it to YouTube for the world to see.

Speaker 26 Actor Ashton Kutcher grabs onto a swing strung over the pool and tarzans across it.

Speaker 28 Diddy is MCing in a sea of white suits, dresses, linen, and sunglasses.

Speaker 32 By the summer of 2009, Diddy had won three Grammys. He had five songs hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and three of his albums had gone platinum.
He was successful and rich.

Speaker 32 Four months from turning 40, Forbes magazine put Diddy's net worth at $30 million.

Speaker 27 He'd presented himself for a long time as a champion and model of black excellence, and he was feeling patriotic after the U.S.

Speaker 14 elected its first black president.

Speaker 22 So, he decided this year's white party would be held on Independence Day.

Speaker 5 He gave Marie Claire magazine a sneak peek before the party started.

Speaker 16 The pool draped in gauzy white curtains and chandeliers.

Speaker 14 Platters of shrimp, crab cakes, and barbecue were served.

Speaker 39 Red and love, 4th of July.

Speaker 39 I'm out here making movies and meeting new people, and that's what the white part is about: about people meeting new people.

Speaker 16 A sommelier explains that all the wines served would be, of course, white.

Speaker 43 We are going to be pouring some wines from the south of the Burgundy region. A Macon Village and Pouilly Fussé.

Speaker 32 Two of the biggest songs of 2009 were Lady Gaga's Poker Face and I Got a Feeling by the Black Eye Piece.

Speaker 32 None of Diddy's music was at the top of the charts, but this was the year he wrapped Making the Band, the show that made him a reality star. And reality shows were hot.

Speaker 32 Diddy's hit show was the perfect blend of American Idol, the number one TV show in America that year, and another popular show at at the time, The Celebrity Apprentice.

Speaker 32 On making the band, Diddy presented himself as a kind of Trump-like figure of the music industry who would crown the next big pop group.

Speaker 45 Diddy had been throwing these Gatsby-S white parties for almost a decade.

Speaker 31 The first was on Labor Day in 1998, when he had just bought a home in the Hamptons.

Speaker 30 He hosted a bunch of them there and then in San Chope on the French Riviera.

Speaker 31 One year, he took a helicopter to the party and landed holding an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Speaker 27 The famous writer Norman Lear loaned it to him.

Speaker 37 All of the big celebrities appeared at Diddy's white parties. Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jonah Hill, Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton, Aretha Franklin, Al Sharpton, and Donald Trump.

Speaker 50 They all orbited the Diddy White Party sphere.

Speaker 12 As a record exec, Diddy helped launch the careers of artists who had become legends, the notorious B.I.G., Mary J.

Speaker 46 Blige, Faith Evans, Usher, and many others.

Speaker 18 So it's no surprise people wanted the invite to Diddy's parties.

Speaker 30 If they had got one, then they belonged in the list of celebrities, politicians, and cultural icons who had proximity to a mogul, who knew everyone and could make things happen.

Speaker 16 You could hang out in the backyard with hundreds of guests who made it through the gates to the main party.

Speaker 52 But it still had a VIP section, an inner circle.

Speaker 54 There's like the party in the backyard, and then there's like the few people in the house. Beyonce was never in the backyard.
She's in the house with Jay-Z.

Speaker 54 She's in the house with very, the kids, you know? We didn't get to smell the same air as Beyonce.

Speaker 10 Reality TV personality and podcaster Jason Lee was at the 2009 Independence Day white party.

Speaker 18 He remembers it as a good time and says it helped his career.

Speaker 10 Lee claims he never saw any darkness or any hints of the crimes Diddy would be accused of years later.

Speaker 54 People like me who went to the regular Diddy parties, we had our chicken and waffles, we sipped our Siroq, we danced, and we went home.

Speaker 52 Lots of people who attended Diddy's parties never saw his alleged dark side.

Speaker 13 For decades, egg listers were eager to pose next to the mogul at a Hamptons Bash.

Speaker 16 Today, many of those celebrities are actively distancing themselves from Diddy, not wanting to share that toxic spotlight.

Speaker 50 At the height of his power and influence, Diddy had complete control over his world.

Speaker 2 He decided who got to be an insider, controlled what happened when the lights went out, and he'd tell his guest as much.

Speaker 55 This is the legendary white party. It's the real white party.
Make some noise if you've been here before.

Speaker 55 Okay?

Speaker 55 And to all the kids, the kids have like an hour left.

Speaker 55 So get extra comfortable, kids, because after that, y'all gotta go. It's a wrap for y'all, because this thing turns into something that when y'all get older y'all don't want to come to okay

Speaker 52 the curfew announcement when kids had to disappear and lots of adults left too

Speaker 31 it hints at a turn diddy foreshadows an adult world a late night world of secrets and some of those secrets they've come pouring out

Speaker 56 Diddy's rise and fall.

Speaker 32 It's the story we'll tell you in the first six episodes of this podcast.

Speaker 32 How How a man who is on top of the music industry and on top of the world is now confined to a cell that couldn't be less luxurious, awaiting trial.

Speaker 56 And once the trial begins, we'll take you there with twice weekly updates as the case unfolds.

Speaker 14 Two very different versions of Diddy have emerged over the years.

Speaker 21 The charmer that he showed the world and the predator that onlookers and alleged victims are now claiming he was all along.

Speaker 9 Which version of Diddy will win out in court?

Speaker 25 I'm Brian Buckmeyer, an attorney and an ABC News legal contributor.

Speaker 52 From ABC Audio, this is Bad Rap, The Case Against Diddy.

Speaker 6 Episode 1, Parties Over.

Speaker 45 Diddy's white parties were glittering displays of wealth and social capital, but to some, they were clues, even early on, that Diddy's world had shadows.

Speaker 47 Justin Tinsley is a culture reporter for ESPN's Anscape, which focuses on black culture.

Speaker 47 He says there'd always been rumors about what Diddy was like behind the scenes, at parties, and in his personal and professional life.

Speaker 61 It was just a matter of what's true, what's not, and is somebody ever going to come to the forefront and really say, like, these are my experiences with this guy.

Speaker 16 In November of 2023, someone did come forward.

Speaker 45 Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against him, alleging that for over a decade, he trapped her in a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking.

Speaker 8 The lawsuit was a bombshell.

Speaker 28 It alleged Cassie was forced to participate in orchestrated, elaborate sex parties Diddy called freak offs that he would film and keep recordings of.

Speaker 63 A day after the lawsuit was filed, Diddy settled with Cassie for an undisclosed amount and no admission of guilt.

Speaker 53 But Cassie opened the floodgates.

Speaker 18 Over the next 12 months, others who had spent time with Diddy, from a music producer to a former model to a yacht stewardess, filed lawsuits too.

Speaker 18 These lawsuits alleged rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Speaker 6 Many also alleged Diddy would spike drinks and lace marijuana with narcotics to knock people out or make it harder for them to resist assault.

Speaker 8 Some mentioned Diddy videotaping assaults to further control and humiliate his victims.

Speaker 18 Those lawsuits went from a steady drip to a rapid current.

Speaker 31 There are now dozens of them.

Speaker 16 In December of 2023, Diddy said in a statement that he did not do any of the, quote, awful things being alleged. He called them sickening allegations by people looking for a quick payday.

Speaker 29 His attorney told ABC News Combs couldn't comment on settled litigation, wouldn't comment on pending litigation, and quote, cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable, end quote.

Speaker 13 But in the fall of 2024, criminal charges were filed against Diddy by the feds.

Speaker 65 In a dramatic turn of events, federal investigators raiding two homes owned by hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs.

Speaker 66 A Homeland Security spokesperson says the raid of the rappers' properties was carried out as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sex trafficking.

Speaker 65 Music mogul Sean Diddy Combs arrested in a New York City hotel by federal agents with Homeland Security investigations after being indicted by a grand jury.

Speaker 58 Mansions where he'd once hosted lavish parties were raided by federal agents.

Speaker 11 In LA, more than a dozen officers pulled up in armored vehicles, wearing fatigues, guns drawn, pointing them at Diddy's sons, who happened to be at home.

Speaker 16 In Miami, it was police officers in t-shirts driving up to Diddy's compound in vans.

Speaker 18 Combs is now facing federal criminal charges that read a lot like those earlier civil lawsuits.

Speaker 16 Sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.

Speaker 52 The charges accuse Diddy of decades of criminal behavior.

Speaker 53 And unlike the civil lawsuits that he faced from Cassie and now from others, these criminal charges could land him in prison for the rest of his life.

Speaker 57 Combs has pled not guilty to all charges.

Speaker 12 His attorney, Mark Ignifilo, called it an unjust prosecution.

Speaker 52 He said Combs was a quote, music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the black community.

Speaker 26 He called Combs an imperfect person, but not a criminal.

Speaker 52 Once these lawsuits and charges were filed, reporters and fans started looking at diddy's past with more scrutiny and up close knowing the allegations against him even his famed summer parties started to look very different like this clip from an appearance on conan o'brien's show in 2002 conan compliments diddy on being a legendary party host and asks him for tips on throwing a quote killer party a lot of ladies drink water at parties.

Speaker 40 They just, you know, so you have, if you don't have what they need, they're going to leave. Right.

Speaker 48 Got to keep them there.

Speaker 17 Right. Need lops on the doors?

Speaker 19 This is sounding kind of dangerous now.

Speaker 70 It's a little kinky, but yeah, yeah.

Speaker 16 A joke about locking doors so women can't leave lands a little differently now.

Speaker 11 I've been captivated by Diddy's rise and fall for two reasons.

Speaker 45 The first one is pretty straightforward.

Speaker 19 When I was growing up in the 90s and 2000s, Diddy was everywhere.

Speaker 17 It's hard to be a millennial and not know his music or his impact on the music industry. One of his most popular songs I remember playing on the radio in elementary school was all about the Benjamins.

Speaker 68 What y'all wanna do? Wanna be ballers, shot callers, brawlers?

Speaker 66 Who be dipping in the bins with the spoilers?

Speaker 2 And Can't Nobody Hold Me Down.

Speaker 39 Can't nobody take my pride.

Speaker 41 Can't nobody hold me down.

Speaker 41 Oh no, I got to keep on moving around.

Speaker 44 He marketed himself as a kingmaker in the world of hip-hop, and everything he touched seemed to turn to gold.

Speaker 62 He turned hip-hop from being a thing my mom probably didn't want me to listen to to something that could make him into a billionaire businessman, something my mom wouldn't approve of.

Speaker 7 Back then, before the lawsuits, before the allegations and scrutiny, Diddy was someone you could look up to.

Speaker 50 But I'm not a culture reporter or a music journalist.

Speaker 46 I'm an attorney.

Speaker 12 I spent almost 10 years as a public defender in New York City, the last few of those in the homicide unit.

Speaker 64 Now, I litigate federal civil and criminal cases.

Speaker 5 And to be clear, I am not an attorney on Diddy's case, but I have represented people who have been accused of the kind of crimes he's being accused of and people who were victims of those types of crimes.

Speaker 42 And even with all of my experience, when I read through some of the lawsuits from the people who had sued Diddy, I had to stop myself sometimes.

Speaker 16 The photos and details were jaw-dropping. They were a shock to my system.

Speaker 12 And the federal indictment is sweeping and disturbing.

Speaker 12 Diddy is accused of running a vast criminal enterprise that abused, threatened, and coerced his alleged victims and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and cover up his conduct for decades.

Speaker 62 Diddy maintains his innocence.

Speaker 9 His trial is set to to start in May.

Speaker 52 Until then, he's locked up, stuck in a place that couldn't be more different from the luxury he's used to.

Speaker 38 A place he doesn't want to be.

Speaker 12 A place that no amount of money can get him out of.

Speaker 51 A place I know well.

Speaker 8 More after the break.

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Speaker 65 Is there any way you can get out of the building?

Speaker 41 I don't know without waking him and I'm scared.

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Speaker 12 In Diddy's old life, he could choose which of his many homes he wanted to spend time in.

Speaker 52 A three-story mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean and downtown LA, a compound in Miami, including a nine-bedroom mansion, a New York City apartment with views of Central Park, homes in New Jersey and Atlanta, and a waterfront mansion in the Hamptons.

Speaker 4 Now, Diddy's in the Metropolitan Detention Center, or MDC, in Brooklyn.

Speaker 34 This bland behemoth is where he'll stay as he awaits trial.

Speaker 35 So we're pulling up to MDC now. It's got like this

Speaker 15 unkept, unwashed, grungy-ness of it.

Speaker 12 There's a tall metal fence around the MDC complex, so the parking lot's as far as most reporters get.

Speaker 8 But as a defense attorney, I'm here almost every week, and I can get further than most.

Speaker 52 I walk through the gate, up the steps, and through the doors to security.

Speaker 46 I get escorted into the visitor's area and I meet my client for about an hour or two.

Speaker 12 For the parts of the jail I can't see, my clients fill me in.

Speaker 47 About how boiling hot it is in the summer how cold it is in the winter an inmate told me that at one point when there was no heat or hot water he couldn't go to the showers and instead was dumping hot water onto his body from the sink washing himself and catching the water in the toilet

Speaker 44 i had to come to mdc on that cold gray day in january to meet with a client who was awaiting sentencing Getting out of my Uber, I looked up at this complex of tall, concrete buildings.

Speaker 31 And the gate before you come in, you can actually hear people.

Speaker 15 It almost sounds like they're

Speaker 49 like rec hour.

Speaker 15 Yeah, it sounds like they're playing a sport.

Speaker 72 Each of MDC's buildings are 10 or more stories tall.

Speaker 12 And where the windows in a typical apartment would be, you have red brick slabs with narrow slats and big sections of metal grating that give you the impression of a locked jail cell, even from the outside.

Speaker 52 MDC is right on the Brooklyn waterfront, just a few blocks from a bougie, converted warehouse space, full of artisanal shops and upscale restaurants.

Speaker 81 But if you're part of the legal system in New York, you know that MDC is not a nice place to be.

Speaker 34 In fact, it's been described as hell on earth, known for its violence, corruption, and miserable conditions.

Speaker 15 It's a federal building, so you can see Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, you see the American flag, and the building has watermarks and rust on the metal parts and things of that way.

Speaker 71 Over the years, it's housed some people you've probably heard of, like R.

Speaker 18 Kelly, Michael Cohen, Gheelane Maxwell, Sam Bankman Freed, Luigi Mangioni, and Sean Diddy Combs.

Speaker 72 Combs has been at MDC since he was arrested last September.

Speaker 9 According to his attorney, Mark Ignifolo, Diddy had flown to New York to cooperate with authorities.

Speaker 77 He came here to turn himself in. He's been looking forward to clearing his name, and he's going to clear his name.

Speaker 9 Paparazzi and onlookers caught snippets of Diddy's visit to New York last September.

Speaker 44 And from those photos and videos, it looked like he was enjoying his time, talking and smiling with fans, playing hacky sack in Central Park, strolling through the city with his family.

Speaker 37 If Diddy had plans to turn himself in, he didn't do it for the first 12 days he was in New York.

Speaker 9 But on the night of September 16th at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Homeland Security investigations agents caught Diddy by surprise.

Speaker 59 You can see on the hotel security footage that Diddy walked into the front door and the agents approached him.

Speaker 68 They separated him from the group he was with, put handcuffs on him, and took him away.

Speaker 44 The day after Combs' arrest, the prosecutor at the time held a news conference to announce the charges.

Speaker 78 Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called freak-offs,

Speaker 78 and he often electronically recorded them.

Speaker 78 The freak-offs sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics, such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB.

Speaker 78 which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant.

Speaker 52 Because of how serious and violent the alleged crimes are, Combs was ordered held without bail.

Speaker 13 ABC News chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katurski was in the courtroom.

Speaker 82 Sean Combs entered in a black t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and sneakers. He actually looked a little stunned as he surveyed the imposing room.

Speaker 82 Several of his children and his sister were there watching as he pleaded not guilty. And then they saw him led out by the marshals after the judge ordered him into custody without bail, David.

Speaker 82 Aaron Katurski, leading us off.

Speaker 16 It didn't surprise me that things didn't go Diddy's way with bail.

Speaker 47 The allegations and trafficking charges are very serious.

Speaker 69 And if Diddy were out on bail, the fear was he'd have the ability to reach witnesses and possibly intimidate them.

Speaker 47 I didn't think there was a chance he was getting out.

Speaker 80 But that didn't stop Diddy or his attorneys from trying.

Speaker 59 Diddy's attorney told reporters before the start of the bail hearings, MDC was no place for his client.

Speaker 77 I told Mr. Combs, I'm going to try and get his case to trial as quickly as possible.

Speaker 77 I'm going to try and minimize the amount of time he he spends in very, very difficult and I believe inhumane housing conditions in the special housing unit of the Metropolitan Detention Facility.

Speaker 51 Over and over again, did he try to get released?

Speaker 62 He tried offering a $50 million bond.

Speaker 44 He tried offering home confinement.

Speaker 58 He tried to prove he wasn't a flight risk, attempting to sell his private plane.

Speaker 16 and saying he'd surrender his passport to his attorney.

Speaker 47 He was trying to be a cooperative defendant.

Speaker 62 But no, Sean Combs was denied bail four times.

Speaker 65 ABC News Live, a judge has denied bail for Sean Diddy Combs. Sean Diddy Combs has been denied bail once again.

Speaker 65 Judge in New York denied Music Mobile Sean Combs' request for bail, saying Combs is potentially dangerous to the community.

Speaker 18 The judges were also concerned he'd obstruct justice and intimidate witnesses.

Speaker 52 That last part, witness intimidation, has become a big issue in Combs' case in recent months.

Speaker 29 In one of his first bail hearings, prosecutors presented calls Diddy made and texts he sent before his arrest.

Speaker 9 They said Diddy reached out to potential witnesses, telling them that he'd be taken care of financially if they stuck by his side.

Speaker 5 And then in November, after he'd been at MDC for about two months and was up for a third chance at bail, prosecutors alleged Combs had been paying other inmates to access their phone accounts and, according to the government, avoid law enforcement monitoring.

Speaker 52 And prosecutors said they caught Combs on recorded calls from jail asking family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and urge them to come up with narratives to sway the jury in his favor.

Speaker 22 Prosecutors wrote in their court filing, The defendant has shown repeatedly, even while in custody, that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case.

Speaker 18 The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions.

Speaker 2 Diddy's attorneys responded to prosecutors' arguments by saying the non-stop drumbeat of negative publicity has destroyed Combs' reputation and will make it virtually impossible for him to receive a fair trial.

Speaker 64 So Combs isn't back in his $48 million mansion on an island in Miami Beach, where at one point he'd asked to await trial.

Speaker 9 Instead, he's being detained far from the pools, hot tubs, cabanas, and ocean views he's used to.

Speaker 81 So, what's it like being an inmate at MDC?

Speaker 81 What's it like being a celebrity and alleged sex offender in MDC, a notoriously dangerous and neglected jail?

Speaker 71 After the break, we meet someone who gives us an inside view of MDC most people don't get to see, and a window into Combs's life behind bars.

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Speaker 47 Just a few weeks ago, I talked to someone who's been past the visitation area at MDC, who's really been on the inside.

Speaker 60 And I will try my best to make this not feel like a cross-examination, even though that is my typical practice.

Speaker 79 Oh, that's okay. You can ask me anything.

Speaker 68 I mean, under that's Cameron Lindsay.

Speaker 45 He's worked in corrections for 25 years.

Speaker 33 He was a warden of five different correctional facilities, including MDC Brooklyn.

Speaker 37 And since retiring in 2014, he's continued to work in jails and prisons around the country as a consultant and also serves as an expert witness, often testifying on behalf of a plaintiff who was hurt or even killed while incarcerated.

Speaker 9 So he's seen some stuff in this country's corrections system.

Speaker 45 And he says for anyone, going into detention is a shock to the system, but especially for someone like Sean Combs.

Speaker 79 Just utterly upending, utterly shocking. I mean, for somebody like you're pointing out, sir, who has, you know, boatloads of money, who is

Speaker 79 used to a lifestyle of just doing whatever he wants. It's like going 100 miles an hour and slamming into a wall.

Speaker 26 It's small things, like having to wear the same beige prison-issued jumpsuit as everyone else.

Speaker 25 And it's big things too, like where and how he's housed.

Speaker 26 Diddy's lawyer has said he's in what's called the special housing unit, which means he's separated from the general population.

Speaker 49 If it were up to retired Warden Lindsay, he'd go even further, putting Diddy in almost complete isolation.

Speaker 79 In my humble estimation, an individual like Mr. Combs, P.
Diddy, he should be quartered separately in a lockdown situation, which would entail 23 hours in a lockdown cell by himself.

Speaker 79 He would be afforded one hour of recreation every day. He would be afforded three showers per week.
His meals would be delivered to him in his cell.

Speaker 29 But that doesn't seem to be MDC's approach.

Speaker 18 Diddy reportedly has access to at least some other inmates.

Speaker 26 Convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman Freed said in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Diddy has been kind to people in the unit, and he's been, quote, kind to me.

Speaker 26 We also know Diddy's cell is small, not what he's used to.

Speaker 79 They have a toilet sink combo. They have a desk and they have a bunk.
And that's it. They are afforded certain privileges, reading materials, a commissary.

Speaker 52 They keep Diddy separated from the jail's general population to keep him safe.

Speaker 2 His wealth and notoriety could make him a target.

Speaker 79 When somebody has this much money and they have been alleged to have committed these heinous crimes, like in this case with P. Diddy.
All those things add up to the likelihood of a potential threat.

Speaker 47 It's right for MDC officials to take Diddy's safety seriously. The facility is infamously dangerous.

Speaker 52 The Associated Press reported that just in the last three years, there has been a stabbing death, a death after a brawl, and at least four deaths by suicide.

Speaker 51 And in the time Diddy's been at MDC, an inmate was charged with orchestrating a murder for hire plot from inside.

Speaker 63 A Southern District of New York judge said in a 2024 opinion that defendants at MDC Brooklyn complain of quote, near-perpetual lockdowns, dreadful conditions, and lengthy delays in getting medical care.

Speaker 63 He and other federal judges have refused to send defendants to MDC on the grounds that conditions are so bad.

Speaker 63 Conditions at MDC sank to their lowest in 2019 with what Lindsay calls the freeze-out, when nearly 1,700 inmates had to live in below freezing temperatures for a week.

Speaker 79 They couldn't get the power on for like a week, and I was just so perplexed by that. And so that was the first thing that started getting my attention, like, what the heck's going on with the agency?

Speaker 32 There was a heat and power outage at the same time. Cells were dark.

Speaker 45 Toilets wouldn't flush.

Speaker 32 And access to food, medical care, and phone calls were cut off. Inmates sued, the Department of Justice investigated, and a settlement was reached for about $10 million.

Speaker 44 When you're incarcerated, sometimes getting the bare necessities can be a struggle. But what happens when your clientele includes people with means?

Speaker 9 People who are used to buying whatever they want. Lindsay doesn't know anything about Diddy specifically, but I asked him about corruption in general.

Speaker 59 So if I tell you that I've heard stories like,

Speaker 60 well, people are buying cell phones inside of MDC and people are having sometimes lobster dinners or dinners brought to them that you're wondering, how are you eating like this in MDC?

Speaker 60 Are those shocking to you at all that I'm talking to you about lobster dinners and cell phones in MDC?

Speaker 79 No, not at all. There's an element of corruption in every correctional facility.

Speaker 79 I can tell you that at MDC Brooklyn, my experience was there was a core of really, really solid staff at MDC Brooklyn that held the facility together.

Speaker 79 Unfortunately, however, there is a disproportionate element of misconduct and corruption within the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn. So

Speaker 79 it's true and disappointing.

Speaker 52 It's hard to know the precise impact Diddy's presence has had on MDC, but retired warden Cameron Lindsay says it's reasonable to think there's been increased scrutiny on the facility from higher-ups.

Speaker 21 We do know since he's been in, there have been lockdowns and contraband sweeps involving other inmates in which investigators have seized drugs, homemade weapons, and electronic devices.

Speaker 79 I can't even imagine the pressure that's coming down from the top of the administration down.

Speaker 79 I would think that the word coming down is, you better keep these people safe and make sure that you're doing your job.

Speaker 9 So we started with Diddy at his peak, the host of the party that everyone wanted to go to, the center of an industry that so many wanted to be part of.

Speaker 18 The key that could unlock success and fame for those around him.

Speaker 52 But now he's locked up and can't even control the most basic things, like when he eats or bathes.

Speaker 36 How did Diddy go from mogul to inmate?

Speaker 53 How did he build not just a career, but an empire?

Speaker 52 And if the allegations against him are true, how did he get away with the violence, abuse, and manipulation for so long?

Speaker 27 Coming up on Bad Rap, the case against Diddy.

Speaker 40 I've seen a lot of death, you know. I don't know why.
Believe me, I asked myself the same question. Like, you know, why have I been chosen to see all of this, you know, death at such a young age?

Speaker 16 Diddy's success comes at a price, but time and time again, he doesn't seem to be the one paying.

Speaker 54 This is the beginning of this sense of invincibility.

Speaker 51 In our next episode, we'll trace the path of Diddy's rising star from college dropout to the cover of Rolling Stone.

Speaker 18 And later in our series, the early signs of Diddy's alleged dark side start to emerge.

Speaker 65 We began to see her more in the public as Diddy's girlfriend and less as the artist, Cassie. The culture of silence was colossal.
It kept people silent for a really long time.

Speaker 65 And I would venture to say it still is keeping people silent right now.

Speaker 52 Stay with us as new episodes drop every week in the lead up to Diddy's trial.

Speaker 16 Once it starts, we'll keep you posted with updates throughout.

Speaker 25 If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love if you share it and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Speaker 38 Bad Rap, the case against Diddy, is a production of ABC Audio.

Speaker 2 I'm Brian Buckmeyern.

Speaker 63 This podcast was written and produced by Vika Aronson, Camille Peterson, and Nancy Rosenbaum.

Speaker 9 Tracy Samuelson is our story editor.

Speaker 18 Associate Producer, Amira Williams.

Speaker 33 Production help from Shane McKeon.

Speaker 80 Fact-checker, Audrey Mostek.

Speaker 16 Story Consultant, Sweeney St.

Speaker 18 Phil.

Speaker 52 Supervising Producer, Sasha Aslanian.

Speaker 52 Original music by Evan Viola.

Speaker 2 Mixing by Rick Kwan.

Speaker 38 Arielle Chester is our social media producer.

Speaker 80 This podcast was powered by the journalists at Impact by Nightline, 2020, GMA, and the ABC News Investigative Unit.

Speaker 9 Thanks to those teams.

Speaker 9 And special thanks to Stephanie Maurice, Liz Alessi, and Katie Dendas.

Speaker 69 Josh Cohan is ABC Audio's Director of Podcast Programming.

Speaker 31 Laura Mayer is our executive producer.