E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Reuters
Bernard Madoff
NEW YORK — Imprisoned financial scam artist Bernard Madoff boasted in a jailhouse letter that he is "quite the celebrity" and treated "like a Mafia don," ABC News said on Thursday.
ABC, which will feature an interview with Madoff's daughter-in-law on news program "20/20" on Friday, released portions of a letter provided by Stephanie Madoff Mack, whose husband committed suicide in the wake of his father's conviction in a massive Wall Street fraud.
Mack told ABC she had written Madoff a letter detailing family events he was missing due to his life sentence of 150 years behind bars, as a way of rubbing salt in the wound.
"I thought that that would really sting him," Mack said, adding that her plan backfired.
The smug-sounding reply from Madoff, whom Mack said she holds responsible for her husband's death, enraged her.
"As you can imagine, I am quite the celebrity, and am treated like a Mafia don," Madoff wrote from the North Carolina prison where he is incarcerated.
"They call me either Uncle Bernie or Mr. Madoff. I can't walk anywhere without someone shouting their greetings and encouragement, to keep my spirit up.
"It's really quite sweet, how concerned everyone is about my well being, including the staff ... It's much safer here than walking the streets of New York."
Mack described her reaction as having been "sick to my stomach," but said she didn't think she ever showed the letter to Madoff's son, Mark.
"My husband was in terrible, terrible pain," she said. "He was so deeply hurt by it all, that he just, he, he just couldn't move past it."
Mark Madoff committed suicide in December, two years to the day after Madoff's arrest in the more-than $50 billion swindle, the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history.
The interview will air on "20/20" on Friday. Mack, whose autobiography "The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life" will be published on October 20, will also appear on "Good Morning America" next week.
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Leave a Comment:
I imagine he'd get the Qaddafi treatment by the 99%ers if he happened to show up right about now.
And deserve it as well. Sociopaths have no feelings for anyone except for themselves.
Not surprising, you have to have a conscience to feel remorse and, considering what he did why would anybody think he one of those?
He's a sociopath, just like most of the big shots on Wall Street.
Yeah, just exactly what did he do?
He ran a scam on a bunch of greedy rich people who insisted on unrealistic returns on their money.
Horrible man. Just horrible.
BERNIE IS THE MAN----THE ORIGINAL AND FOUNDER of 'OCCUPY WALL STREET'. think about it---What are the 'OCCUPIERS' AGAINST corporate and the RICH PEOPLES greed------WHO did MY HERO----BERNIE-- take from the richest and the GREEDIEST--only the companies and people who just looked at the statements without questioning their validity--THATS GREED-especially when the market was in a downward cycle. FUNNY THING---you might not know--he talked to people individually before taking them on as clients. GREED WAS THE MAIN OBJECTIVE in their lives more,more,more. BERNIE YOUR THE BEST--------LET BERNIE OUT!!!!!
Well then... I suggest we find him a tiny little flat in NYC and slap a GPS ankle bracelet on him. Then create a web page to display his location. It would sure save us a lot of money.
Odd isn't it that he ran a scam on wealthy people and was put in prison and yet the banks ran a scam on millions of everyday people and no one has seen a cell.
My belief is that's he's just talking smack. However, if he's in one of those Country Club prisons that white collar prisoners get to reside at maybe it's time for a little change.
@rico: he's not at a "country club" - those are minimum security prisons. Madoff is in a medium-security prison, which is not a picnic. It's not maximum security but it's no fun. Because of the length of his sentence (a virtual life sentence) he doesn't qualify for minimum-security; when your sentence is that long you are considered a flight risk. Someone serving a few years for a white-collar crime is not considered a flight risk because they know that if they escape and are caught they'll do twice as long at hard time. Madoff would have little to lose.
"the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history."
No that is still going on. But probably not much longer.
You're talking about big insurance aren't you?
Of course he is safer in jail...Think about all the people that want his scalp for taking their savings, their retirement, etc.
Probably he has a price on his head if he ever gets out on parole. He would not last very much....
Actually, Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme...it just hasn't collapsed yet.
GK-298121 2.3
Do some research, rather than parroting.
Famous inmates are often coddled in prison, for a number of reasons. Guards and fellow prisoners alike often see an opportunity in befriending or protecting someone like Madoff, usually to elicit some kind of financial 'reward' should the inmate ever be released. In Charlie Manson's case, even though he ordered and orchestrated the death of Sharon Tate's unborn child, placing him low on the prison ladder, he bought protection by providing pornography to his protectors from what remained of the female members of his 'family' on the outside. Prison officials are probably equally aware of the benefits they might receive by making life easier for criminals like Madoff. Still, prison is no cakewalk even if you're coddled. Let's just hope he dies in there, alone, after thirty more years of being "Uncle Bernie" to rapists, murderers, and other miscreants.
"Still prison is no cakewalk. . ."
It is if it's white collar prison (minimum security). Madoff does not deal with "rapists, murderers, and other miscreants." That's blue collar prison (maximum security). He's only surrounded by other d-bags like himself. If there is a God he will be tasting his own blood as he dies very painfully.
It is while they are in jail, they get the favored prisoner treatment. They can and do pay bribes for better treatment, better food and privileges. He is only going to live a few more years and then it is history. So he has people on the outside who know where his hidden wealth is and can send money all over the world to secret accounts.
Mr. Madoff you want an extra pillow. $50 please. "No problem! Money in your account next week."
this article is only for the publicity of the 20/20 show and his daughter-in-laws book. this way another madoff family member can make more money off of the crime that was committed. even tho his son killed himself... his daughter in law has wrote a book and she needs publicity for sales and controversy sells. thats why she is the one making madoffs comments from jail known. if she wasnt plugging her book we wouldnt have to be reminded of the guy at all until his death happens from his life sentence. another madoff making more money from the crime. boycott the show and her book, i say.
Ah Chris, you get it. The rich are not like you and me. :)
Fitzgerald.....he knew what he was talking about.
He and She need to be alive to see and feel how people suffer because their dark soul,it could be good if those with their pending payment visit them.
And the streets/people of New York are much safer with Bernie in prison. He still hasn't learned that no one really likes him, its their foolish belief that he might still have some cash hidden away that attracts them, corrupt guards included. Bernie must actually like getting bent over in the shower. His enthusiam will wane when the shiv gets stuck in him.
So we continue to pay for Madof's room, board, medical care, entertainment, etc. at a cost of ~$80k/yr while the average SS retiree gets just over $13k/yr. Where is the justice in that?
And he is right!
Glad the POS is enjoying himself
He is in white collar prison, not much to be afraid of there. Put him in a maximum security prison that houses a death row and see if he feels safe.
I hear there is a vacancy next to the maximum security cell occupied by the blind Muslim Cleric who tried to bomb the World Trade Center the first time. I am sure Madoff can get used to a 10 by 6 foot solitary confinement cell.
HEY..............ALABAMA needs labor to pick potatoes.................MADOFF!
Hopefully someone takes this scum out soon. The rest of the family seems to be living pretty well. They will get theirs too.
Agree or maybe as a good community service he can serve in a refuge camp in North Africa but let's tattoo his name on his face!!
I for one certainly hope that Madoff (what an appropriate surname Bernie has, if there ever was one..lol!!) gets an obviously and most-deserved tax-cut while in prison, since he has certainly helped and apparently continues to help create "jobs" in this country, nevermind all of those of whom he destroyed financially before he 'fessed up. After all, rightwingers, see all things capitalist and free-market one dimensionally and believe that capitalism "polices itself" and if some end up with the proverbial "short end" of the profit stick...ohhh, well...personal responsibility and alll that jazz......(((smirk)))
See rightwingers, I'm not so liberal after all...hah!!
Bring him to the Terre Haute fed max prison and lets see how safe he feels. He should have gotten a death sentences.
The cockbreath SHOULD feel safer in prison.
If he feels so safe in prison, I say great, rot in prison for the rest of your life. It's to bad he gets to live at all when he stole so many other peoples lives. Bernie Madoff is a piece of crap who will rot in prsison. It's a shame he is such a big shot in prison becuase if he was on the street someone would shoot the son of a bitch!
I bet the criminals do idolize him. Talk about pulling off a scam. And don't forget that aren't too many people in prison that had the money to invest with him. He needs to be housed in a maximum security prison considering he feels like he is being treated so well. He should feel as deprived as the families that are broke because of him are.
Give all prisoners (esp. females) a smartphone with unlimited at everything , and hell, nowadays it would "almost" be like they were not in prison at all, other than perhaps no longer having their choice of what is in their meals or having sexual relationships with a person of their choice or always being the "opposite" of their choice, or having much if any control over when and esp. "where" it happens..haha!!
I would be surprised if he felt safe outside his cell. Has there been a greater failure as a human being? I think not.
Which is why we should not be supporting his miserable, but non-violent, butt in a federal prison. He should be released on electronic monitoring, lifetime supervision, with no access to so much as a checking account or debit card, no access to a computer or smart phone, rent some apartment on his social security check and spend his time volunteering at a homeless shelter.
Even thought it was "only" stealing, he should be put to death.
I believe that if you irreparably damage someone else's life then you should die. He definitely has irreparably damaged many other lives.
Same goes for murderers, rapist, kidnapers, and many others.
We have got to change the system. Getting pretty tired of reading news articles where a criminal has raped/murdered/kidnapped someone only to find out that the criminal has a laundry list of prior violent felony convictions, and should never have been walking free. The gov is not doing its job to protect citizens from violent criminals....or from white collar criminals.
JohnLaz, I have a list of 100 Most Wanted Crooks from Wall Street, starting with Richard Fuld, John Thain, Chuck Prince, Robert Rubin, Angelo Mozilo, Greenberg, Edward Liddy, Sullivan, Lloyd Blanfein, David Viniar, Gary Cohn, John Mack, Tom Gorman, etc. Not one of them has been indicted let alone going to prison or given death sentence.
What do you do with them or how do you get them to pay for their misdeeds which wrecked havoc on countless number of people's lives?
Hell, Bernie's probably teaching the fine tunings of a criminal enterprise where you can really make good money while sticking it to some rich greedy white folks.
I bet the feeling is mutual between NY and Madofff. Sure hospital stay would make you say that.
it sounds like he is enjoying his evenings with
BIG BUBBA nothing like a big Ponzi
He should feel safer. It is about the only place in the country where he will feel safe. At least, until some inmate looking to make a name for himself sticks a knife in his chest.
Good, he can stay there till he dies. The rest of his family should be there to. It's naive to think they didn't know what was going on, most of them worked for him.
He's obviously in the wrong prison.
Does anyone actually give a @!$%# how this piece of slime feels or what he thinks?
I do, to the extent I don't think he should feel so safe in prison. He deserves the same unlubricated anal penetration he handed out to so many.
Why does MSN provide this scumbag the opportunity for publicity and more importantly, why should any of us care how a convicted felon who destroyed a multitude of lives feels about his all expense paid condo or his bff prison cronies?
Because msn is a scumbag, lowlife, company.
Hee should feel safer there! The guards weren't rich enough to be targeted by this scumbag! Set him loose in the Hamptons! They'd tear his scraggly ass to shreds!
Yeah, those rough, tough, rich Hampton débutantes are gonna actually get off their fat butts and do something. That's a good one!
Yeah I can see why he would think jailfied-jail would be a safer place than NYC.
I guess in prison, there couldn't be more than a few thousand inmates that might want to butt-rape the guy with a broomstick as opposed to 8 million New Yorkers. He'd have to prefer those odds I guess
So What!! Madoff Scammed the rich, in return they scammed the poor and what goes around comes around.