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Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly facing disciplinary sanctions after allegedly making an unauthorized three-person phone call while incarcerated at the federal facility Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey. The infraction comes just days after his transfer to the low-security institution and could result in the temporary loss of both phone privileges and commissary access.
According to prison records obtained by media outlets, Combs placed a telephone call on November 3 that began as a one-on-one conversation with a woman, during which he discussed arranging visitor details and bringing “200 singles” into the facility. Midway through the exchange, a third party was added to the call, a move expressly prohibited under the rules of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), because it raises concerns around coordinating illicit activity. Combs later told prison officials that the third participant was his public relations counsel and that the call was related to preparing a statement for a major newspaper. He asserted he had not been made aware of the prohibition on multi-party calls and claimed he never received the standard inmate handbook outlining rules.
Prison staff recommended a penalty of 90 days without phone privileges and 90 days without commissary access. It remains unclear whether the recommendation has been formally implemented. Combs’ representatives argue that the conversation was initiated by one of his attorneys, was a protected attorney-client matter and therefore proper under the rules. They deny any wrongdoing and characterize reports of infractions as exaggerated.
While this matter is playing out administratively, Combs has been assigned to the chapel library and is participating in the BOP’s Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP). These assignments are seen as positive steps within the institution, and outspoken remarks from his team highlight his commitment to personal reform. Nonetheless, the phone-call incident has introduced a new wrinkle in his adjusted life behind bars. As this high-profile figure adapts to incarceration, the disciplinary episode will likely be closely watched by his legal team and prison officials alike.
