Madoff Lawyer: 12 Years Would Be Fair

Attorney Asks Judge Not To Disproportionately Punish 71-Year-Old Ponzi Scheme Operator

(AP)  A lawyer for failed financier Bernard Madoff has told a Manhattan judge who will sentence him that a prison term of 12 years would be fair.

Attorney Ira Sorkin says such a sentence will not disproportionately punish his client compared to other white collar criminals.

Federal Judge Denny Chin is scheduled to sentence Madoff next Monday.

The 71-year-old Madoff pleaded guilty March 12. He admitted operating a massive Ponzi scheme. He faces up to 150 years in prison.

Dozens of Madoff's victims have already urged the judge to make sure Madoff spends the rest of his life in prison.

Madoff has been jailed since pleading guilty to 11 felony counts including securities fraud and perjury.

[thoughtxchange2]

I vote for the electric chair- of the style shown in the movie The Green Mile. How many lives did this man affect? How much pain and suffering has he caused? I truly do not see how he can live with himself. Hope some of his prision buddies give him a daily screw in the same way his victims are getting the same everyday.

How many lives has he ruined? How many deaths has he caused (suicides)? 12 years is NOT even close ... and will he be held in a prison cell that everyone else is in or will he have GREAT accomodations and have a luxurious(sp?) cell? We all know that money talks and you can bet he still have a lot of it stashed away somewhere.

[mikekleber]

Have every person he stole money from gather in Times Square, then turn him loose in the center of the crowd. Justice would then be served.

[burneb]

150 years for Madoff seems fair enough. Perhaps the 12 years should be for Sorkoff.

[krzeaz]

Bring out the guillotine.

[stn_sage]

How about a good old-fashioned HANGING?!

[ToolMangler1]

He ruined thousands of lives, why should his be spared?

[stinger1z]

Let him rot, he'll spend the rest of his miserable life in jail/civil courts anyway. I hope he dies on his last day in prison, effectively a life sentence.

[Ordflyer]

SEND HIM TO GITMO!!!!

[Ordflyer]

12 years!!!!???? I can steal 100 BILLION dollars and only get 12 years?????????!!!!!

I'm in!! Sign me up!!!

Whoever (whomever?) said "crime doesn't pay" clearly wasn't referring to billionaire swindlers...

Here's an idea for the federal judge: 1000 years in jail and relinquishing ALL properties of the immediate family.

OR THE ELECTRIC CHAIR!!!!

[SusanStoHelit]

Life plus. He stole from thousands, cost lives, destroyed people - the only problem with a life sentence for him is that it will be too short - a pity he's not younger so he could rot in prison awhile longer.

[toldyouso29]

A lawyer for failed financier Bernard Madoff has told a Manhattan judge who will sentence him that a prison term of 12 years would be fair.

Attorney Ira Sorkin says such a sentence will not disproportionately punish his client compared to other white collar criminals."

Interesting, now rich lawyers and their clients think they can negotiate the length of their sentence? 24 years for the lawyer with no parole eligibility before 12 years are up...and 4 years with no chance of probation for the lawyer for being a presumptuous, arrogant you know what... THAT sounds fair.

[truthseeker60]

The irony is that this guy expects fair justice after sending fortunes to relatives and friends from his penthouse AFTER he was incarcerated. That goes without mentioning the millions of lives that have been effected by his greed. Send him to gitmo, he's a financial Terrorist.

[TyroneHoglegg]

12 years?....Yeah right....Bernie will just be getting used to his new prison Girlfriend at 12 years.

[Questionews]

You have to expect that from his Lawyer. Would you want a Lawyer that come out & say "Yeah, he's scum. Put him away for life". You don't get many references operating like that. OJ would be behind bars for murder had he had an honest Lawyer. (An honest Lawyer is about as rare as an 18 year old virgin!)

[toldyouso29]

LOL. 18 year old virgins are not at all rare. I and my 2 sisters were 18 year old virgins. My cousins were 18 year old virgins, even 2 of my sons were and my two daughters were. In each case it was a choice and a tradition which each family member wanted to live up to. When each of us made the choice to finally have sex, it was a big occasion with the family in full support of the mature decision. Whether kids remain virgins until they are at least 18 or not, like whether kids do drugs or end up in jail or not--has to do with the raising, which does not stop with great grades in school or good manners, it also has to do with who you let your kids hang around with, where they go, and how much influence you begin and MAINTAIN throughout all the years you have children. Some in my family were also 19 year old and 21 year old virgins before they took the plunge.

Each voluntarily committed to the ideas of self respect and self discipline--this ensured that neither friends or the capricious nature of teen libido superceded their self respect and common sense. It is not uncommon to come across 18 year old virgins--it IS uncommon in America to come across parents who actually know and practice good parental skills. Nix those sleepovers....

[1notrub11]

OK, but 12 years isn't even funny and would likely create a response you don't want to see - witness the comments here.

[mtcolquitt]

150 YEARS WOULD BE FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hagar39]

IDEA! Waterboard him. That's the American way. I bet then he will tell where he is hiding all the money he stole.

[BIGDAN9999]

how can 12 years equaite. I mean he rob people of billions and possibly serve only 12 years.,,, but about Bernard (Bernnie) Ebbers he did not rob people like this and he got 25 years,,,, I say let Bernnie out or Maddof can serve 25 years or more.

[rwsmith29456]

In other words, a nice slap on the wrist. They said, "Disproportionately to other white collar criminals". Thats just it. They all should stew in their own juices in real prison rather than a few years in a "country club" prison.

[snoopy28173]

Only 12 years for what this guy did? Who cares about his age. He knows right from wrong and he has to face the consequences. It's don't do the crime if you can't do the time. If it were an "average american", they'd be slapped in jail faster than their head could spin.

What should happen, in addition to the max sentence, is to rob him of all the money he stole, then triple or quadrouple it.