Bernie Madoff, the disgraced financier who scammed tens of thousands of people out of billions of dollars, has died at the age of 82. What was his cause of death?
Madoff’s cause of death has been given as only “natural causes,” however he also suffered from terminal kidney disease.
The federal Bureau of Prisons told AFP: “We can confirm Bernard Madoff passed away on April 14, 2021, at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Butner, North Carolina.” They said the cause of death would be determined by a medical examiner.
But Madoff’s lawyer said he was terminally ill. According to CNBC, Madoff was the mastermind of “the biggest investment fraud in U.S. history,” a fraud scheme that totaled $65 billion. He pleaded guilty to 2009, and he died in prison.
Here’s what you need to know:
Madoff Was So Ill He Requested Compassionate Release, But It Was Denied
GettyNEW YORK – JANUARY 5: Bernard Madoff (C) walks out from Federal Court after a bail hearing in Manhattan January 5, 2009 in New York City. Madoff is accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme through his investment company. Madoff is free on bail and hasn�t formally responded to the charges or entered a plea.
According to Yahoo Finance, Madoff’s lawyer, Brandon Sample, said that Madoff was terminally ill and “wanted to leave prison to die.”
He said at that time that Madoff had “terminal kidney disease, among other serious medical conditions,” Yahoo Finance reported.
“The Bureau of Prisons concluded in September 2019 that Madoff has less than 18 months to live because of the terminal nature of his kidney failure,” Sample wrote, according to the publication. The request for compassionate relief was denied.
The family has been beset by tragedy. Madoff’s son Mark died of suicide. His other son Andrew died of cancer at age 48. His son Peter received a 10-year prison sentence, according to AP.
His wife Ruth is still alive. According to NBC New York, Ruth Madoff was never charged in the scam and didn’t divorce her husband. She told Today in 2011: “The villain of all this is behind bars.” Ruth Madoff was last known to be living in a “nondescript condo” in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, according to the New York Post, which tracked her down, but she didn’t have anything to say to them. The Post reported that she moved to that community in order to be closer to her grandchildren in 2012.
Madoff Was in a Wheelchair
GettyItems from Bernard L. Madoff’s estate are seen on display before they are auctioned off on Saturday at the Miami Beach Convention Center on June 2, 2011 in Miami Beach, Florida. The auction held by the U.S. Marshals Service are items seized from Madoff’s Palm Beach home after he was charged with his $65 billion Ponzi scheme. Madoff is serving a 150 year federal prison sentence.
Shortly before he died, Madoff told The Washington Post he required a wheelchair and 24-hour care. The Post reported that he was hoping to repair his relationship with his grandchildren before he died.
“I’ve served 11 years already, and, quite frankly, I’ve suffered through it,” Madoff told the Post.
He was serving a 150-year prison sentence for the ponzi scheme swindle.
According to the Associated Press, the judge didn’t mince words when he sentenced Madoff. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said, “Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff’s crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of irresponsible manipulation of the system is not merely a bloodless financial crime that takes place just on paper, but it is instead … one that takes a staggering human toll.”
Madoff was serving his time at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina. His scam netted well-known celebrities as well as other people and caused extraordinary anger among his victims, some of whom lost everything.
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