Madoff’s lawyer requests 12-year sentence – Jun. 23, 2009 The claim is that this is an effective life sentence. NO IT IS NOT. By that logic why not give him 100 years since he’ll die along the way. What is the point? There is an off-chance he gets out in 12 years and can rush to the numbered Swiss Bank Account and get some cash out for the family. That’s what he is up to here. He’ll be 83 when he gets out. It would be an outrage.
The lawyer for Bernard Madoff, the confessed Ponzi scammer who faces a maximum of 150 years in prison, requested a 12-year sentence from the judge set to mete out his sentence on Monday.
Madoff defense attorney Ira Lee Sorkin made the request in a letter to Judge Denny Chin of U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Sorkin focused on the age of his septuagenarian client, as well as his “non-violent nature” and his “voluntary surrender” to authorities.
“Mr. Madoff is currently 71 years old and has an approximate life expectancy of 13 years,” wrote Sorkin, whose letter was released on Tuesday. “A prison term of 12 years – just short of an effective life sentence – will sufficiently address the goals of deterrence, protecting the public and promoting respect for the law.”
This man should not have to spend more than six years in a minimum security prison, with weekend visits to his wife. Good Lord! Hasn’t he suffered enough? You people are vicious! He hasn’t physically hurt anyone!
#30, Greg, I’m inclined to agree. I’ve never bought into the whole “debt to society” thing. He doesn’t owe me anything. The people he owes something to are all of those he committed an act(s) of fraud against. And it will take a mighty long time for that debt to be paid in full.
Considering the amount of harm he did I say bury him under the jail.
When are the people that helped him going to be arrested? I don’t think anyone is dumb enough to think he did this by himself.
No don’t give him any jail time. Just have him be in a locked room for say an hour with some of the people he riped off. If he can walkout of that then he can go free
#32, faxon,
Actually you raise a good point.
Traditionally, white collar criminals have stolen far more and received far lighter sentences than someone who burgles your house. They almost always end up in minimum security facilities and the burglar does hard time.
Why change now?
1200 years is more like it.
#32 – he has harmed people. He took their money. If you take someones life savings that’s almost the same a murdering them. Hell, maybe worse. Without money there is nothing.
Madoff is in the same category as a spammer – no punishment is too horrible.
They should kill him in hi-def during primetime broadcast on all stations.
Should give Madoff a year for every billion stolen !!! That’s about 60 !!!
Sea Lawyer,
Thanks for the inclined agreement.
Jail should be reserved for violent criminals, as a principle.
For a guy like this, living the rest of his life at the poverty line would be horrible.
Consider Martha Stewart — doing jail-time but remaining wealthy was OK with her. No jail but no wealth would have been far worse.