Madoff's 150-Year Sentence In Context (SLIDESHOW)

As you probably know by now, Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for orchestrating the largest ponzi scheme in history.

The sheer size and scope of Madoff's $68 billion fraud, in which thousands of investors lost huge portions of their savings, is hard to contextualize. His prison term, however, is a bit easier to get your head around. Though nothing short of a full refund for his investors could make up for what he did, 150-years is a long time. Check out our slideshow, which puts Madoff's sentence in terms that are easier to understand:

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What Does 150 Years Really Mean? Sure, Bernard Madoff was sentenced to a long, well-deserved prison term. Here's what a 150-year prison sentence actually entails...

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Comments

[PoliticalRockChick]

I can't understand how these so called victims are now wondering what happened to the SEC. These rich so called victims I bet you majority of them were Rethugs who believed the government should not oversee corporations, should not ask for transparencies, keep everything in corporations and financials firms private. I'm glad this happened. This shows the world how when you allow a company investing in people's money and not have a check and balance system, you inevitably will get ripped off.

[BLUEBIRD1234]

The judgment given good or bad is not to be questioned. The person who is convicted may appeal on count he desires, but commenting on the judge or judgment falls under contempt of court, and accordingly the person who comments may be prosecuted. So avoiding on the judgment, but I would like to mention that a person who is guilty of dishonoring Public faith for personal gain has been punished is absolutely correct. The length of punishment and the comment of the wife of the convict goes to speak volume of the nature of the person so I may take the period of his punishment is enough to see to the end of his long nurtured criminal nature.

It is imperative to mention here that such like more dangerous criminals are roaming freely outside must also be brought to face justice following all legal formalities of the law of the land for their treacherous acts with the nation. I am surprised to see these criminals enough are encouraged to speak to the public over electronic media and supported by printing media. These criminal are worse than Madoff they are those who are well to the nation. Waiting in anticipation for their trial.

[David Burklin]

The reality is, this is a sensationalistic headline based on a political ploy. The man is 71 years old. He's not going to live more than another 10-20 years... 30 would put him at the far reaches of humanity. Even with cap time, good behavior, and all the other bonuses that inmates get, he's in WAY over his head.

Now, the reality is once things die down, he'll find himself in a country club minimum security semi-private mansion where he'll be on lockdown at least 10 minutes a week.

[Nasser H]

Madoff will spend the rest of his life in prison. How do you think he would spend it and what would he do in the next 5 to 10 years?

[brooklyncitizen]

He will study the Qu'ran.

[rabrophy]

I think he'll get out in two years tops. The court left him enough money to hire a slick lawyer and a Doctor who'll say he's to ill to be in prison. I know that would not work for riff-raff like us, but rich guys do it all the time.

[jdlund]

Two years? Seriously man the justice system has its flaws but that's a ridiculous exaggeration. First of all, if you want to appeal solely on the basis of an unreasonable sentence...good luck. That's a really hard thing to appeal. I don't care how much you spend on a lawyer. I don't care how good that lawyer is. Trust me on this one. I've been through a boat load of those types of appeals back when I worked for a firm that did some Public Defender's Agency appeals. Appealing the harshness of a sentence is something that desperate people with no other options do.

The only appeals I've ever seen work of those was where the judge committed some fatal flaw in the sentencing itself. Failure to consider a legitimate mitigating factor, enhancing a sentence based upon an impermissible consideration, etc. The richest lawyer in the world is still restrained by the fact that courts do not care when your sentence is within statutory guidelines and Madoff's is. Sure he got the maximum but it is within the statutory guidelines. The courts will not care. Second you could be Mother Theresa mixed with Ghandi and multiplied by Nelson Mendella and you won't get a 150 sentence reduced to 2 years. That's patently absurd.

[iamkarim]

so why didn't he get slick lawyers in the first place if it's that easy to get off all the time? No judicial system is perfect and ours has plenty of flaws, but plenty of rich people get convicted that should and plenty of poor people get off that shouldn't.

As for the court leaving him enough money, they actually wiped him out and left his wife with only 2-some-odd million dollars. That's a lot of money to riff-raff like us, but in terms of legal defense fees of big time lawyers, that would probably break-the-bank for Madoff's wife.

[SgtMac]

Since Mr Madoff isn't going to live that long, perhaps he should spend the rest of his life under 24 hour lock own at the Federal Supermax prison in Colorado.

[kingbuzz]

good thing he didnt have any weed when they got him or hed a been screwed.

[jalowe1957]

For all the hoopla concerning Bernie Madoff's prison sentence, always remember this line of dialogue from a vintage Bugs Bunny cartoon: "After all, 99 years isn't forever."

[HalEBurton]

And we remain ignorant of the many high placed co-conspirators who Bernie bught and sold along the way. Deep Capture.

[daddyoh]

Bernie Madoff got 150 Years!
That is way too harsh! I know what he did was terrible but there is no way he should have gotten 150 years! 148 maybe....but 150?

Thank You!

[tiredofwaiting]

it means he's done w/the high life and his remaining time on earth will be spent in a little white box.

[unhhockey]

He won't last more than a year in prison so this is all moot.

[frank1569]

Context? You want context?

So Bernie gets about 1 year jail-time for every billion he stole...

"A Virginia man was sentenced Friday to more than 50 years in jail for robbing a western Maryland bank with his grandson."

They stole $33,888 - that's a year's jail-time for every $676.

Here's your context:

A year in jail for trying to steal $676;
A year in jail for successfully stealing 1 BILLION f#@king dollars!!!

[jdlund]

Well 150 was the maximum and it's pretty pointless to sentence him to any more than that. It'd get appealed if he was sentenced to more than that and he's going to die long long before the 75 is up. Besides that they stole money from a bank. Can I assume that it was armed robbery? That's a violent crime. Embezzlement is bad but no it should not be punished as much as someone sticking a gun in a teller's face and robbing a bank.

[Jeff Kreisler - Huffpost Blogger]

Are we sure *he’s* really going to prison? The man stole $60 billion… are you telling me he can’t afford a clone?
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[gcallaghan]

Not meaning to be nitpicky but slide two is wrong. At $0.25 per hour it would take Madoff 272 billion hours to pay back $68 billion. Of course night shift differential and weekend premium rates would whittle that down a little quicker.