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Sean "Diddy" Combs has been using his time behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to teach a six-week program called "Free Game With Diddy", aimed at helping fellow inmates build discipline, set goals, and adopt positive thinking.
The program, described in a syllabus submitted to court, "offers exclusive insights into the journey of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, tracing his rise from humble beginnings to becoming a globally recognized icon and influential business mogul." Combs, 55, began running the course after his arrest in September 2024 on multiple charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. He was acquitted of those counts but convicted in July of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. He faces sentencing on Friday, October 3, where he could receive up to 20 years in prison.
Inmates who have attended the classes wrote letters of support to Judge Arun Subramanian. One participant noted, "This class is teaching me how to be discipline. I know by applying myself in this class it will help me become self-aware of my negative behaviour." Another said, "Even behind bars and with limited resources I have witness this man do magical things."
Arturo Santiago, another inmate, explained, "What I take from this class is how to set realistic goals that would be easier to maintain and it's giving me the knowledge and tools I didn't have before."
Fellow detainee Ho Wen Kwok, also known as Miles Guo, praised the initiative in a separate letter: "'Free Game With Diddy' is a course where we are taught about life, entrepreneurship, and how he became one of the most successful icon-business moguls in the world starting from nothing." He added that for the first time in his stay at MDC, he had seen "a whole unit participate where colour or gang didn't matter ... the only thing that mattered was the equal goal of gaining knowledge and wisdom."
Prison staff have also acknowledged the course. A unit counsellor wrote in an evaluation: "... excellent class, keep up the great work."
Despite the positive feedback, prosecutors argue for a sentence of more than 11 years. Meanwhile, Combs' defence team has asked the judge to impose no more than 14 months, with supervised release, therapy, and drug treatment to follow.