Madoff gets the max: 150 years
Cursed by his victims this morning in court, Bernie Madoff told the judge that he wasn't asking for "forgiveness," and the judge cut him no slack, sentencing the 71-year-old swindler to 150 years in prison.
By the time he gets out, it will be the year 2159, and Ponzi schemes will probably be legal. But it won't do Madoff any good. The only thing he can hope for is that there will be enough warning of his death so that he gets transported to a hospital in the outside world so he doesn't have to suffer the further insult of dying behind prison walls.
Earlier today, I lowballed the length of the sentence, estimating no more than 50 years. I failed to take into account that U.S. District Judge Denny Chin would want to spare himself the public wrath if he didn't give Madoff the max. The much more common practice in cases of white-collar crime is to show quite a bit of leniency, especially when the criminal has already confessed.
But how could Chin not sentence Madoff, such a potent symbol of excessive greed and hubris, to the max? The sentence -- the max for merely symbolic reasons -- is simply more evidence that justice isn't blind.
1 comment(s) / Post a Comment
I think your 50 year number will stick. You are right, the judge had no choice in the matter. Madoff caused so much harm to so many,anything less than that number would have been seen as a pass. But here we go again, he will appeal because the one fifty number is not in line with the 25-30 year stints other white collar criminals have received. 25-30 years in the can is a death sentence. 150 years will probably be seen as overkill, analogous to a marine emptying 30 rounds into an enemy's head at point blank range when all that was needed to do the job was 1. I can hear it all now, Madoff's lawyer comparing the judge and prosecution to a pair of raging serial killers, who drive 40-50 holes into each of their innocent victims with Phillips screw drivers. Saying killers that display that much rage have a serious mental disorder requiring a 90 day psychiatric examination to determine if they are competent to stand trail. Lawyers will do almost anything for $1000 per hour. The reality is Madoff is the serial killer here. He drove 40-50 holes into each of his countless victims. He being no less a criminal than Charles Manson. How much money did Madoff need? His appetite was not for money. He was hungry for blood, his motive being the destruction of his clients. Literally, crushing man, woman and child. It takes a sadist to knowingly destroy one financially and that was Madoff's motive. Sure, the money was great. The money bought him status with an elegant lifestyle, his philanthropic endeavors shielding him from scrutiny. He loved the Black Tie Events he hosted or toasted, inviting his clients, not as equals, instead as prey to gloat over and condescend to as he continued to take more and more of their wealth until finally he had it all. When he finally won, the jig was up. Much like the housing bubble he was, having no one else to destroy except himself, the self-loather that he is. I still like the 150 year sentence he received but believe it should be harsher. A start would be having Bernie and his family turn granite boulders into fine gravel with sludge hammers until they repay each victim all they stole, including money.
Johnny Transistor,
June 30, 2009
