Prison is not going as one might expect for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
According to TMZ, the incarcerated 56-year-old figurehead of Bad Boy Records was found drinking homemade liquor behind bars, a clear walk back on his admission during the sentencing phase of his trial that he was sober for the first time in “25 years” and that he had lost his way due to drugs and alcohol. The drink, a mix of Fanta, sugar and apples, can be turned into alcohol after it ferments for two weeks.
Prison officials at Fort Dix, the minimum security prison in New Jersey where Diddy will have to serve his sentence, considered moving him to a different unit at the jail, but ultimately relented.
In a lengthy letter to Judge Arun Subramanian in an attempt to receive a lighter sentence, Diddy accepted responsibility for his past wrongs while acknowledging his prior 13 months of incarceration had led him down a path of clarity.
“My pain became my teacher. My sadness was my motivator,” he wrote. “I have to admit, my downfall was rooted in my selfishness.”
He later added, “Although this situation has been the hardest and darkest time in my life, good things have come out of my incarceration. For starters, I am now sober for the first time in 25 years. I have been trying my best to deal with my drug abuse and anger issues and take accountability as well as positive steps towards healing. One of the most beautiful things I have experienced is being asked by my fellow inmates to teach and mentor them.”
Diddy had reportedly attempted to secure a pardon from President Donald Trump in order to secure his release from prison. Although Trump confirmed that Diddy’s legal team had asked for a pardon, the White House dismissed the report.
“There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” a White House spokesperson told NBC News. “The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.”
The disgraced mogul was sentenced to four years behind bars after being found guilty on two counts of violating the Mann Act. His tentative release day is May 2028.
