Diddy's Daily Court Commute Resembles 'Groundhog Day,' Prison Consultant Says

With jury selection set to start on May 5 in Sean "Diddy" Combs' high-profile federal trial, new information is coming out about the music mogul's strict and monotonous prison-to-court ritual.

The 54-year-old is accused of a string of federal charges that he trafficked women for sex, conspired to commit racketeering, and transported women to engage in prostitution. He has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since September and is awaiting trial.

A Routine with No Privileges

Diddy, however, will find his days during the trial to be grueling and highly regulated, quite unlike the celebrity-and-blunt lifestyle he once enjoyed, according to federal prison consultant Sam Mangel, who spoke with The Mirror US.

"It's like Groundhog Day," Mangel said, with a reference to the 1993 movie where Bill Murray's character experiences the same day repeatedly.

The Bad Boy Records executive would reportedly be woken up at 4 AM with the other prisoners who have court appearances, Mangel said. From there, they are led into a transfer room, undressed and shackled, and then driven by bus through a tunnel to the courthouse.

"There are holding cells where he'll be permitted to change into his suit or whatever he's wearing during the trial," Mangel explained. "He'll be able to meet with his attorneys in a private room upstairs during the hearing or the trial on that day."

After the day's proceedings end, Diddy will be delivered back to those holding cells, stripped once again, given back his prison jumpsuit, and escorted back to MDC Brooklyn. It is repeated on a daily basis until the end of the trial.

No VIP Treatment Behind Bars

But the holding cells offer little comfort beyond access to a lawyer. "The holding facilities in detention centers in federal courthouses are stripped down. There are no amenities," Mangel said. "There's a cell with a toilet in it and a sink, and that's it. There's no bed or anything. And a bench — they have no privacy."

Food, says Mangel, is scant and terrible. "He will prefer being at the detention center over the courthouse," he added. "He'll get fed, but it will usually be a rancid bologna sandwich."

Whether Diddy will be held in a cell alone or kept with others depends on the number of defendants present in court on that day.

Diddy is claiming his innocence of all charges and maintains that he has never committed any criminal wrongdoing, including the allegations made in several civil suits.

The trial, unfolding in federal court, is likely to attract national attention.

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Diddy, Sean Combs, P. diddy