NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bernard Madoff is dying of kidney failure and has fewer than 18 months to live, and is seeking to end his 150-year prison sentence for masterminding what prosecutors have called the largest Ponzi scheme ever.
FILE PHOTO: Bernard Madoff exits the Manhattan federal court house in New York in this January 14, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
In a court filing on Wednesday, Madoff’s lawyer said the 81-year-old is confined to a wheelchair, often requires oxygen, and suffers from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, insomnia and other chronic and serious medical conditions.
Madoff, who has served 10-1/2 years of his term, is perhaps the most prominent federal prisoner to seek “compassionate release” under the First Step Act, a bipartisan law signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 that lets some older pris