Comments on: Madoff Sentence "Legally Suspect And Grossly Unfair"

[mmlissi237]

Grossly unfair? When you consider all the people he stole from and all the years of hard work it took for these people to save their money it does not even compare to the sentence he received. He stole money some people took an entire lifetime to save...30, 40, 50 years of hard work gone. One poor man in his 90's has to work at a grocery store now because he has no money. Madoff and all of his accomplices (and you know he has them, he is not smart enough to do this alone be realistic)should rot in hell and suffer like many of his investors now have to do. That man makes me sick and I hope he is utterly miserable for the rest of his life.

[hennighg]

Unfair? Well, then, why weren't those others given longer sentences? Madoff was eating haute cuisine on retired people's money. Some poor guy thought his retirement was set, but Madoff decided he needed tailor-made suits, instead. Unfair? Not hardly. This fall under the category of the justice system getting it RIGHT. Unfair? I can't believe this stupid boob SAID that!

[jerryb2339]

So does that mean if I have money to invest that exceeds the value of my house I should put it under my mattress? Or just keep it in my savings account at Lehman Bros? Or how about in a Christmas Club? I lost $6,000,000 with Madoff - I was sent to Madoff by my investment counselor (when I suggested to him that I shouldn't have all of my money with one investment house, he suggested I use Madoff who had a very good resume and had shown excellent results over a long period of time). I absolutely would NOT be upset with Madoff if he had invested my money and lost it - but that wasn't the case, was it. He merely stole it. So does this mean that if a burglar comes into your house and steals all of your possessions you should not have sympathy from me?
You are a real jerk. You probably should invest part of your fee into buying a dictionary - so you can tell the difference between a bad investment and a theft.

[rainbowroosie]

I hope he lives another 149 years to serve them all...this story is crap...the GUILTY scum stole billions...and ruined how many other INNOCENT people's lives???... Save your sympathy for the victims not the scum.

[jerryb2339]

The writer is wrong to chastise the judge - for judging. The federal sentencing guidelines have proven to be mostly draconian - they were designed to make things "consistent" and "fair" and all they did was to do away with the judgement of a judge.

These guidelines have gradually disappeared as the courts have recognized that judges should be allowed to judge a defendant given the particular circumstances/facts in the particular case (that's why sometimes a better result is probation and sometimes a better result is 150 years).

That's what we expect our judges to do (and appeals courts are there to simmer down overzealous sentences) - so let the writer close his pie hole - and let the judiciary do what they know how to do - to judge fairly and in the context of the crime.

[tincup356]

Do you not think the United states government is not scamming you when they deduct pay from your check for Social security? Are they not violating sacred trust when they sell legislation that makes corporations rich at the cost of the tax payers? Ate the not violating our trust when they misappropriate Social Security funds to other things and still act like they have done no wrong? Why do they not hold someone responsible for things like this that affected the whole stock market ,,,ultimately affecting everyone who has a 401k,,,,,,,,so in a sense ....the little man was hurt by all this mess too,,,,,just like when wall street speculators caused oil to go through the roof,,,,,,the way the government is going about reviving the economy will never work,,,,you can clear the books for corporate America all day long....it won't help the main cog in the machine,,,that is the middle class of this country,,,the ones who have to have money to buy products to keep the economy moving. When congress and corporate America have succeeded in eliminating the middle class,,,,,,,how will they make their billions with less sales, because the only ones that will be able to afford corporate Americas out priced products,,,,,,will be very few.The greedier they get , the closer to revolution we come.

[jerryb2339]

The writer is absolutely wrong re the sentencing of Madoff. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are draconian in that they dictate what a judge must use when sentencing criminals....these guidelines took away a judge's ability to JUDGE. The guidelines are gradually being phased out by judges who have enough tenure (and, therefore, guts) to step outside them - and become judges again.

This means judges SHOULD use their judgement when sentencing - and 150 years, as absurd as it may sound, is fair in some cases (this one) and unfair in others - just as probation is fair at times and not fair at other times.

So the writer here is completely wrong in chastising the judge....for JUDGING. Was the judge "spirited" or over-zealous in his judgement of Madoff? It's not for us to say - it is the prerogative of the judge.

[rushlimpdrug]

Andrew Cohen is a jacka-ss.

On the other hand if Madoff were set free to walk the streets,
he wouldn't last very long walking by some of his victims.

I say free the b-astard and let him run a gauntlett.

[tincup356]

What sentence should congress get for running the same type of ponzi scheme as they are doing with Social Security? Congress frowns down severely when someone lies to them, but why is it different when the shoe is on the other foot, when congress lies to the people? Americans had better wake up, the two parties we have to choose from are about like picking between the crypts or the bloods, ALL four groups are criminals,,,,,,the ONLY difference between politicians and street gangs?,,,,,,,Politicians where suits and ties when they commit their crimes, and when they do,,,,ALL Americans pay the price,,,not just local neighborhoods. The bailouts and stimulus packages have been nothing less than robbery.Washington lied when they said we have a problem last year right before the elections. They said they needed 700 billion dollars to rescue the home foreclosure problem,,,,here it is 8 months later and not one cent of that 700 billion dollars went to that problem,,,,instead people like AIG, Citibank, and Bank of America got almost 200 billion of that money,,,,why do people not connect the dots leading from the 1.7 billion dollars that those three companies gave to BOTH parties of congress in lobby payments, in the previous months leading up to the crisis? What corporate America and congress are doing is called conspiracy to commit TREASON................................The biggest unanswered question is,,,,,,,,WHY ARE THE PEOPLE NOT PROTESTING TO THE BIGGEST ROBBERY IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD?

[kurtpeterson39]

First off I do feel bad about the situation but do not have any sympathy for Madoff's investors. Espcially the ones that say they lost everything. First off, I am in the investment industry. Second, the golden investment rule for anyone that invests money in anything is "never invest money that you can't afford to lose". So with that said I don't know how anyone is losing there house cause of him. If you are losing your house because of him then you should have been smart enough to not bet the house in the first place. It's the people who blindly invest in something or someone just because a little bird on there shoulder told them its a good idea or the fact that their charts are always positive. That idea is as good as me charging you $100 bucks to tell you to go buy a lotto ticket saying you'll prob win. Don't think im right, tweet me Kurtpeterson1

[jerryb2339]

So does that mean if I have money to invest that exceeds the value of my house I should put it under my mattress? Or just keep it in my savings account at Lehman Bros? Or how about in a Christmas Club? I lost $6,000,000 with Madoff - I was sent to Madoff by my investment counselor (when I suggested to him that I shouldn't have all of my money with one investment house, he suggested I use Madoff who had a very good resume and had shown excellent results over a long period of time). I absolutely would NOT be upset with Madoff if he had invested my money and lost it - but that wasn't the case, was it. He merely stole it. So does this mean that if a burglar comes into your house and steals all of your possessions you should not have sympathy from me?
You are a real jerk. You probably should invest part of your fee into buying a dictionary - so you can tell the difference between a bad investment and a theft.

[Jmailloux]

Thank you for saying this. You have said exactly what has been on my mind since this whole mess started.