Sean Combs, 56, is said to have been conscious throughout and returned to FCI Fort Dix before dawn, but how he was hurt has not been established.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken to hospital from FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey at about 1am on Saturday 10 October after suffering a head injury, according to TMZ. The former music mogul, who is serving a 50-month sentence, was reportedly conscious throughout his treatment. The injury was said to be non-life-threatening. News of the incident became public on Monday.
What is known about the incident
TMZ reported that Combs was returned to the prison before dawn. It is unknown how he was hurt. No official diagnosis has been confirmed, and there is no verified information on whether he had a scan, needed stitches or suffered a concussion.
Reporting published on Monday indicated that people close to him were concerned and trying to establish what happened. It is not clear which medical facility treated him, or whether it was a hospital emergency department. Nothing so far links the injury to an assault, and it is unclear whether another prisoner was involved.
His conviction and sentence
Combs was convicted last year on two counts of transportation for prostitution, relating to his former girlfriend, the singer Ventura, and another woman known as Jane, who testified at the trial. He was accused of running a sex trafficking operation and denied all the allegations. A jury found him not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and of two counts of sex trafficking involving Ventura and Jane.
He received a 50-month sentence and a $500,000 (£371,000) fine. He spent 13 months in custody during his trial, which counts towards his sentence. His projected release date was previously given as 21 January 2028. According to Federal Bureau of Prisons records reviewed by several US publications on 7 and 8 October, it is now 2 March 2028, a delay of 41 days. The Bureau of Prisons has declined to explain the change, citing privacy, safety and security. A spokesperson for Combs said the defence is never told how the bureau calculates or adjusts release dates, “so we cannot speak to the reason for any change”.
Earlier trouble in custody
In July, Combs reportedly fought with another inmate after being “dissed”, and was placed in solitary confinement. He was released from the unit in August. He was reportedly sent back to the Special Housing Unit at the end of September, after an NBC News investigation published on 29 September. That investigation drew on four anonymous inmates, who alleged that Combs received preferential treatment and held prohibited items. The allegations included:
- other inmates cooking him special meals, such as curry chicken, pizza and empanadas
- prisoners cleaning for him, including his toilet
- massages from other inmates
- prescription antidepressants obtained through other prisoners
- a contraband mobile phone used to receive nude photographs from a former girlfriend and to access Instagram
These are allegations from prison sources and have not been confirmed through disciplinary findings. It has not been established whether the prison’s own investigation led to any formal findings. Separate sources have also claimed Combs had a phone, alcohol and a tablet for watching films.
Legal setbacks outside prison
On 6 October, a New York judge ordered Combs to pay $477,700.50 in legal fees after dismissing his $100m defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal, Peacock and the production company Ample. The suit concerned the documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy. NBCUniversal’s lawyers had asked for $990,292, and Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond cut the award by $512,591.50 after finding some of the billed work excessive. She upheld hourly rates ranging from $915 to $1,980. Combs’s representative, Juda Engelmayer, said the reduction showed the original bill was excessive. Combs appealed the dismissal in May, and the appeal was still listed as pending.
On 18 September, federal judge Jennifer L. Rochon dismissed several claims against Combs in a separate civil lawsuit, ruling that they were brought outside the applicable time limits. She dismissed one remaining claim without prejudice, which leaves open the possibility of proceedings in a state court. The ruling rested mainly on procedural and legal grounds rather than a trial of the underlying allegations.
Combs is also challenging his federal conviction and sentence. The appeals court approved an expedited timetable, but an appeal does not automatically suspend a sentence or guarantee earlier release.
