The heir of South Korea's largest business group, Samsung's Lee Jae-yong, now wears a khaki jumpsuit and uses a communal shower in a Seoul detention centre.
And Lee, who is in line to become the head of a business conglomerate that accounts for nearly a third of the value of South Korea's stock market, now eats meals that are valued at US$1.25 each, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Lee was arrested on 17 February and on Tuesday an independent counsel said he would be indicted on charges of bribery in connection with an influence-peddling scandal that has led to the impeachment of the country's president, Park Geun-hye.
The deputy chairman of Samsung Electronics eats alone in his cell, mostly soup, rice and a few dishes, adding up to about 2500 calories, an official at the detention centre told the newspaper.
{loadposition sam08}Lee's new home measures 68 square feet, about half the size of a standard American parking space. Within this small space, he has a foldable mattress, table, chair, sink, toilet and an LG television.
The WSJ said he was allowed to watch television for seven hours on weekdays and 11 hours on the weekend. However, the official said, he was not allowed to watch the nightly news which recently has broadcast details of his legal problems.
The official said Lee was allowed to leave his cell thrice a day: 30 minutes to exercise, 10 minutes to meet any visitors and to have a shower. While his lawyers can see him as often as they wish, he is allowed to have only one other visitor a day.
And, given the fact that he may be in personal danger, he is kept away from all other prisoners.
According to Yonhap, the Samsung Group is alleged to have signed a 22 billion won (US$18.3 million) contract with a Germany-based company owned by Choi Soon-il, a confidante of Park, and her daughter, under a consulting arrangement to pay for the daughter's equestrian training.
The investigators are examining whether this contract was signed as a quid pro quo for the state-run pension fund's backing of a major 2015 merger deal between Samsung subsidiaries.
Allegations have been made that the presidential office put pressure on the state fund to back the merger in return for the alleged favours that Samsung granted Choi.
Park, meanwhile, is waiting for the Constitutional Court to decide whether to uphold the impeachment vote which took place on 8 December 2016.
The scandal and its fallout comes after a year in which Samsung had to stop production of its flagship Galaxy Note7 after numerous devices combusted. Samsung also faced issues with washing machines and had to order a recall.
As a result of safety measures introduced after the Note7 fiasco, Samsung did not announce its new flagship, the Galaxy S8, at the Mobile World Congress which is underway in Barcelona this week. In the past such models have been unveiled at this event. The announcement is said to be delayed until 29 March.