Confined to a $7 Million Penthouse in New York

[wwswimming]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...s-in-apf-14033202.html

A judge allowed disgraced investor Bernard Madoff to remain free on bail Monday, rejecting an attempt by prosecutors to send him to jail for mailing more than $1 million in jewelry to family and friends over the holidays.

The decision means Madoff will avoid having to leave the comfort of his $7 million penthouse and await trial in a cramped jail cell with nothing but bunkbeds, a sink and toilet. Madoff will remain under house arrest and under the constant watch of security guards.

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it sure seems like Madoff is being given kid gloves treatment,
considering he created a financial fraud that cost people $50 billion.

 

[Vette73]

Insert Dave Chappels bit about the rich guy getting ruffed up by police while the poor drug dealer is asked nicely to come in... please.

 

[OCGuy]

He'll eventually be locked up. Or he'll blow his brains out.

 

[Atreus21]

Gimme a copy of Left 4 dead and I'm set.

 

[MovingTarget]

Another example of the disparity of treatment of those at the top. I say he should be locked up, just like any other fool who steals a large-ish amount of money. A thug can only rob you of what you are carrying that particular day. People like this can rob you of your future. Either lock them up, or attempt to force them and watch them bail Bonnie and Clyde style.

 

[frostedflakes]

He might as well just get used to his future surroundings, no point in putting it off.

 

[JS80]

yea...i don't get it. i'd like to ask that judge a few questions.

 

[mugs]

I hope he's at least being billed for those security guards. Although I guess that would just come out of what would become restitution money when he's convicted...

 

[brandonbull]

He shouldn't be allowed to live in a $7M mansion. Go directly to jail and do not pass go.

 

[brandonb]

Are the security guards there to prevent him from leaving or to protect him from snipers?

 

[boomerang]

I sometimes have difficulty remembering that everyone is treated fair and equal in the eyes of the law.

If he was the average Joe and robbed a liquor store, where would he be? In jail.

 

[Lemon law]

After the Madoff outrageous attempts to send his relatives what little is left of stolen money, he should have been immediately jailed, but give the damn prosecutors a damn asleep at the switch dope slap too, they have not even indicted Madoff yet??????????

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

The guy is a douche of epic proportions and I hope he spends the rest of his life in FPMITA prison... but he paid his bail... what's the problem here?

Originally posted by: boomerang
I sometimes have difficulty remembering that everyone is treated fair and equal in the eyes of the law.

If he was the average Joe and robbed a liquor store, where would he be? In jail.

Unless he made bail...

I know this guy sucks. I'm not happy that he's not in jail. But we have a system here... we can't violate it just because the guy is a douche.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Unless he made bail...

I know this guy sucks. I'm not happy that he's not in jail. But we have a system here... we can't violate it just because the guy is a douche.

Agreed. If it goes to trial and he is found not guilty on some technicality, or if he is found guilty and bargains his way into a cushy prison for a pathetically short sentence, then we can complain. Until then...let the legal system do its thing.

 

[Zebo]

MADE OFF (love that name) will be gone before trial. He already has stashed away billion or so for his younger generation in overseas bank accounts and arrangements are being made. All thats left is charter a Jet boat, cut the ankle monitor and disappear to parts unknown.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: boomerang
I sometimes have difficulty remembering that everyone is treated fair and equal in the eyes of the law.

If he was the average Joe and robbed a liquor store, where would he be? In jail.

This was not a violent crime. If he's allowed to stay outside it's because he is not a threat to others or a flight risk.

 

[alchemize]

How much was his bail set at?

 

[Zebo]

10m

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: alchemize
How much was his bail set at?

$10M. He immediately posted a bond by securing it with real estate and was released.

It seems to me the bail here may not have been high enough. I have no problem with him being given bail but it should have been closer to an amount he really couldn't afford to lose. I think mailing $1M in jewelry could well have been a basis for revoking his bail if it violated the terms of his release (which it very likely did - honestly I haven't read enough about the details to know for sure).

Candidly, the reason I don't like him having bail is that at least the jail would be a truly punitive environment (though jail is not meant to be punitive for preconviction inmates). Even hardened cons used to maximum security prisons generally prefer prison to jail, because jails are VERY regimented and locked down and permit little autonomy.

Once Madoff is convicted he will go to a "Club Fed" style minimum-security federal prison, and those really aren't generally too bad. The inmates live in unlocked dorm-style rooms, have plenty of activities and educational opportunities, and have quite a fair amount of personal freedom within the confines of the facility. Actually, Maxwell AFB, where I received much of my military training, is a minimum-security federal prison (that was where they sent the Studio 54 guys for tax evasion), and it's really a pretty hospitable environment.

I'd like to see Madoff spend a year or two in an NYC jail pending trial - that might be the first truly humbling experience of his life.

 

[Sedition]

Originally posted by: JS80
yea...i don't get it. i'd like to ask that judge a few questions.

if he is honest he would probably tell you he met him at a few fundraisers and thinks he is an alright guy; if he was really honest he would tell you he is assuming it will win him political favors.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone

Originally posted by: alchemize
How much was his bail set at?

$10M. He immediately posted a bond by securing it with real estate and was released.

It seems to me the bail here may not have been high enough. I have no problem with him being given bail but it should have been closer to an amount he really couldn't afford to lose. I think mailing $1M in jewelry could well have been a basis for revoking his bail if it violated the terms of his release (which it very likely did - honestly I haven't read enough about the details to know for sure).

Candidly, the reason I don't like him having bail is that at least the jail would be a truly punitive environment (though jail is not meant to be punitive for preconviction inmates). Even hardened cons used to maximum security prisons generally prefer prison to jail, because jails are VERY regimented and locked down and permit little autonomy.

Once Madoff is convicted he will go to a "Club Fed" style minimum-security federal prison, and those really aren't generally too bad. The inmates live in unlocked dorm-style rooms, have plenty of activities and educational opportunities, and have quite a fair amount of personal freedom within the confines of the facility. Actually, Maxwell AFB, where I received much of my military training, is a minimum-security federal prison (that was where they sent the Studio 54 guys for tax evasion), and it's really a pretty hospitable environment.

I'd like to see Madoff spend a year or two in an NYC jail pending trial - that might be the first truly humbling experience of his life.

Denial of bail is for those who pose a physical risk to society. You should know this counselor.

Despite pulling off the largest heist of all time the rules don't suddenly stop applying to MADE-OFF because of emotion or feelings of powerful people he ripped off.

I don't have a problem with more bail money should he have it - but setting bail so high just to keep him locked up - is just denial of bail by another name.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The thing is, at the low levels, we look at crime as a heinous act. Caught selling drugs? We can't have that. Breaking and entering? No dice. Stealing, robbery, arson, murder, assault, all are terrible crimes... on a small scale. But I think once the crime becomes large enough, we're almost in awe that someone was able to even do it. You steal a few hundred dollars from a 7-11, you're going to jail that day. You steal $50 billion dollars? We can barely wrap our heads around that. It reminds me of a bit by Eddie Izzard:

Pol Pot killed 1.7 million people. We can?t even deal with that. You know, we think if somebody kills someone, that's murder, you go to prison. You kill 10 people, you go to Texas, they hit you with a brick, that's what they do. 20 people, you go to a hospital, they look through a small window at you forever. And over that, we can't deal with it, you know? Someone's killed 100,000 people, we?re almost going, "... Well done! You killed 100,000 people? You must get up very early in the morning. I can?t even get down the gym! Your diary must look odd: Get up in the morning, death, death, death, death, death, death, death ? lunch ? death, death, death ? afternoon tea ? death, death, death ? quick shower...

We can't wrap our heads around someone committing crimes on that high a level. And so we afford them luxuries that they don't deserve.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
After the Madoff outrageous attempts to send his relatives what little is left of stolen money, he should have been immediately jailed, but give the damn prosecutors a damn asleep at the switch dope slap too, they have not even indicted Madoff yet??????????

If that is true, how is it legal to hold him against his will?

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Denial of bail is for those who pose a physical risk to society. You should know this counselor.

Despite pulling off the largest heist of all time the rules don't suddenly stop applying to MADE-OFF because of emotion or feelings of powerful people he ripped off.

I don't have a problem with more bail money should he have it - but setting bail so high just to keep him locked up - is just denial of bail by another name.

You're incorrect. The primary reasons for denial of bail are to prevent flight (a real risk here) or commission of additional crimes (also a real risk here, particularly since he appears to already have reoffended while under house arrest by obstructing justice).

 

[Zebo]

He is monitored by security so the first point is covered and that only leaves the point I made about physical harm.
Read this it disagrees with your opinion and so did judge.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article...27291577&pos=ataglance