NEW YORK (AP) — Investigators from multiple federal agencies launched an "interagency operation” on Monday at the troubled New York City jail where Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held.
The investigators from the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office and other law enforcement agencies descended on the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the Bureau of Prisons said in statement to The Associated Press.
The law enforcement operation was “designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed at MDC Brooklyn,” the agency said.
Prison officials declined to provide specific details about the operation Monday morning.
Combs' lawyers have highlighted a litany of horrors at the jail — including deplorable conditions, rampant violence and multiple deaths — as they’ve made repeated attempts to get him released on bail while he awaits trial next May on sex trafficking charges.
The hip-hop mogul's detention and a rash of crimes connected to the jail in recent months have only further galvanized public interest, leading to increased scrutiny and a push by the Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons to fix problems and hold perpetrators accountable.
Last month, federal prosecutors charged nine inmates in connection with a spate of attacks from April to August at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail in New York City. The allegations detailed serious safety and security issues at the jail, including charges after two inmates were stabbed to death and another was speared in the spine with a makeshift icepick. A correctional officer was also charged with shooting at a car during an unauthorized high-speed chase.
Earlier this month, an inmate was charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that led to the death of a 28-year-old woman last December outside a New York City nightclub. According to prosecutors, the inmate used a contraband cellphone to orchestrate the plot from behind bars while awaiting sentencing for directing a different shooting years earlier.
The criminal charges offered a window into the violence and dysfunction that have plagued the jail, which houses about 1,200 people, including Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange. The total is down from more than 1,600 in January.
In a statement on Monday, the Bureau of Prisons said its operation in Brooklyn had been planned in advance and there was “no active threat.”
The agency said it wouldn’t provide additional details about what exactly investigators were doing until the operation was complete “in an effort to maintain the safety and security of all personnel inside the facility and the integrity of this operation.”
The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, is used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.
Those held at the Brooklyn jail have long complained about violence, dreadful conditions, severe staffing shortages and the widespread smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of it facilitated by employees. At the same time, they say they’ve been subject to frequent lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.
Twice denied bail, Combs is now asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant his release. Arguments are scheduled for Nov. 4.
Combs lawyer Mark Agnifilo, who had previously sought to have him moved to a jail in New Jersey, said at an Oct. 10 hearing: “We’re making a go of the MDC. The MDC has been very responsive for us.”
Another Combs lawyer, Anthony Ricco, told reporters outside the courthouse afterward: “He’s doing fine. It’s a difficult circumstance. He’s making the best of the situation.”
But, Ricco added: “Nobody’s OK with staying in jail for now.”
FILE - The Metropolitan Detention Center is seen in the Sunset Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - A car drives into the Metropolitan Detention Center in the Sunset Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - The Metropolitan Detention Center is seen in the Sunset Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
Manchester United finally ran out of patience and fired manager Erik ten Hag on Monday after a troubled start to the season which has left the 20-time English champions languishing in the Premier League amid a period of major upheaval at the club.
The Dutch coach won two domestic cups in his 2 1/2 years in charge but has paid the price for leading United to its worst start to a season, with the team having lost four of its opening nine league games and in 14th place.
Heavy home losses to fierce rival Liverpool and Tottenham left Ten Hag under severe pressure and seemingly changed the mood among United fans who have been prepared to give him more time. A 2-1 loss at West Ham on Sunday proved to be his last game in charge.
United has won just one of its last eight games in all competitions.
“Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager,” United said, adding that Ruud van Nistelrooy, one of Ten Hag’s assistants and a former striker at the club, would be taking over as interim head coach while a permanent head coach is recruited.
Among those linked with taking over at United are former England coach Gareth Southgate, former Chelsea manager Graham Potter and former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us," United said, "and wish him well for the future.”
Ten Hag joined from Dutch giant Ajax and was tasked with the responsibility of bringing the good times back to a club that has been in decline since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Despite winning the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup this year, United was showing no sign of improving on its worst league campaign in 34 years, having finished in eighth place last season.
Already 12 points behind first-place Manchester City in the Premier League, United — which never had a distinguishable style of play under Ten Hag and often conceded late goals — appears to have little hope of challenging for the title and is in danger of missing out on qualification for the lucrative Champions League once again.
Ten Hag only held onto his job following an unexpected victory over fierce rival Man City in the FA Cup final in May and an extensive end-of-year review by United. He was then handed a one-year extension to his contract to 2026.
However, the club’s new soccer leadership — fronted by new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe — was unimpressed with the pace of change and the recent results under Ten Hag, who has overseen the spending of about 615 million pounds ($800 million) on new players since his arrival. In the Premier League, only Chelsea has spent more in that time.
Ratcliffe, the British billionaire, has taken over control of United’s soccer operations, with a new CEO, sporting director and technical director all installed in recent months. They now have to appoint a sixth permanent manager since Ferguson’s departure, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag.
"I don't think anybody will be truly shocked after what happened yesterday," former United defender Gary Neville said of the latest loss to West Ham.
“The fact they are in 14th is just unacceptable. You can't be 14th after nine games with the level of spending that has occurred, without being under significant pressure.”
Bruno Fernandes, United's current captain, posted on Instagram his best wishes to Ten Hag.
“Thanks for everything boss!” Fernandes wrote, alongside pictures of him and Ten Hag holding the FA Cup trophy. “I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future.
Fernandes added: “Even knowing the last period hasn’t been great from all of us I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for our club!”
United winger Alejandro Garnacho also took to Instagram, saying: “It hasn’t gone as well as we wanted, but I will remember the good times we had together and I wish you all the best in the future. Thank you very much Erik.”
The team’s next game is at home to Leicester in the English League Cup on Wednesday.
FILE - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the London Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag celebrates with Manchester United's goalkeeper Andre Onana after winning the English FA Cup final soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag watches the play during an English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag, left, celebrates after Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brentford at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag shouts out from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford, Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Manchester, England. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
FILE - Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez lifts Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag while celebrating victory in the English FA Cup final soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag sits on the bench during a Europa League opening phase soccer match between FC Porto and Manchester United at the Dragao stadium in Porto, Portugal, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira, File)
FILE - Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes pose with the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton, File)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts on the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the London Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the London Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
