Madoff Says Feels Safer in Prison Than in NY

Reuters ^ | Fri Oct 21, 2011

[nickcarraway]

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.

[rbg81]

Kinda like “Arrested Development”. Lift imitates art.

[org.whodat]

Madoff, when you are in the turd bowl, hang on to another turd. He is one happy brownie.

[mgstarr]

After a while, Jon Pollard lost his celebrity status at FCI Butner. Same will happen with Bernie.

Wonder what job he has there. Orderly, chow hall, laundry.

Hope he enjoys his stay at what used to be called a Club Fed.

[John S Mosby]

It takes a special kind of perverted mind...a father, mind you, who comments to his widowed daughter in law (who fingers him for the corruption and mental destruction of her husband such that he committed suicide) in such a cavalier fashion.

This inmate is one sick SOB. And, if he thinks he’s popular now in Butner Federal wait a while— people do get knifed there.

By the way, bernie boy’s wife is divorcing him— she’s a real peach, too.

[gaijin]

Lost his wife, lost his son, his job, his reputation.

Then he was filled with a sense of powerlessness, and so he dumped on his widowed daughter-in-law.

This guy is TRUELY scum.

[SunkenCiv]

Far from the Madoff crowd. Thanks nickcarraway.

[hinckley buzzard]

Bernie Madoff is a psychopath who has no empathy or conscience. His remarks about his treatment in prison reveal the fatal flaw in the anti-death penalty argument that life imprisonment is punishment enough. Such people as Madoff readily adapt to a structure and make the best of it, turning it to their own ends, including the micro-culture inside the wall.

It should be clear from this enlightening letter that Madoff is not suffering in the slightest. We need capital punishment for such white collar criminals as well as the vicious violent murderers. The Madoffs do more damage to the community than does the random killer.

[svxdave]

Without defending this liar, cheat and thief, I am impressed that he could create a mental mechanism to deal with the tragedy on his life. People can decide if they will be happy or not happy, it is all in our heads. It is too bad his son son couldn’t deal with it.