Bernie Madoff: Worst Part Of Prison Is Knowing My Family 'Hates Me'

Bernard Madoff -- the man convicted of swindling billions from clients worldwide -- said he's more concerned with how his crimes affected his family than the victims of his scheme.

"I can understand why clients hate me," Madoff told ABC's Barbara Walters in an interview in prison. "The gravy train is over. I can live with that."

But the worst thing about his new life in a North Carolina prison is "Not seeing my family and knowing they hate me," he told Walters. "I betrayed them."

Madoff, who is currently serving a 150-year prison sentence, was arrested in December 2008 for running the largest recorded Ponzi scheme in history, which cost his victims his $64.8 billion in paper losses and $18 billion in cash losses, according to The New York Times. The victims ranged from charities to university endowment funds to more traditional investors.

Madoff has tried to defend himself at times. In February, he told New York magazine he essentially considered himself a "good person."

The Walters interview, which lasted two hours and wasn't on camera, is one of many media appearances from the Madoff family in recent weeks. Ruth Madoff, Bernie's wife, told CBS's 60 Minutes and the NYT that she and her husband attempted suicide on Christmas Eve in 2008, shortly after Madoff was arrested. The couple took sleeping pills, but woke up the next morning, according to the reports.

Earlier this month, Madoff's daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff Mack told ABC News that she blamed Bernie Madoff for her husband Mark Madoff's suicide in December 2010. Mark Madoff, Bernie Madoff's oldest son, also attempted suicide in 2009, Mack told ABC.

"I hate Bernie Madoff," Mack told ABC. "If I saw Bernie Madoff right now, I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband, and I'd spit in his face."

Irving Picard, the liquidator of Madoff's firm, has sued JPMorgan for $19 billion lawsuit in an attempt to win back some of the losses of Madoff's victims, according to Bloomberg.

Comments

[Just another victim]

11:31 AM on 11/17/2011

Boycott Laurie Sandell's book on the Madoff family. She and the Madoffs stand to profit big time. When asked if she intends to donate any of the proceeds of her book and HBO deal to the victims of the crime, she is silent. She is an embarassment to our Jewish community.

[Jeanette DeBella Bogue]

01:46 PM on 11/01/2011

The worst part of prison is knowing your family hates you? It's not the damage you caused to your client's and their families?

It's not the 8x4 cell, prison food, overcrowding, lockdown 23hrs per day? Oh wait, you are in FEDERAL prison, where they call it "Camp Cupcake".

[Matt12]

05:29 PM on 10/31/2011

The worst part of his life and his family’s life is that none of them, nor his "clients," nor their community have a sense of shame! Assorted family members are writing books now, they have to make a buck after all….

[Jeanette DeBella Bogue]

01:47 PM on 11/01/2011

assorted family members' GIRLFRIEND is writing books so they can keep the profits and not have to surrender it to the swindled clients.

[blitznstitch]

03:51 PM on 10/31/2011

family loved you when they were on the gravey train too. They probably thought that you were this hard working guy who did everything to provide his family a life only a handful of people in the world can enjoy. Your son committed sucide while his kids were having an all expense paid trip to Disney World. I have no sympathy for his family, they were probably kissing Madoff's butt as the alpha dog in the family until the ponzi scheme broke.

[Rogelio Lopez]

03:09 PM on 10/31/2011

Boo Hoo.......Bet they loved you when you were all swimming in cash...

[blueyesinbhead]

01:48 PM on 10/31/2011

And here I thought he was going to say, the worst part about jail was getting caught.

[nypapajoe]

12:31 PM on 10/31/2011

No Bernie Everybody hates you!

[AnasaziTribe]

11:27 AM on 10/31/2011

Madoff: "The gravy train is over. I can live with that."

An example of what a sociopath says about his actions. And, he says he is concerned that his family hates him, when he doesn't give a fig leaf to their or anyone's hurt.

[JWoode]

01:17 AM on 10/31/2011

I would have thought it would be the itty bitty bedroom/living room/bathroom.

[fried52]

09:06 PM on 10/30/2011

Sometimes I have mixed feelings about this guy. Fact is he couldn't have done what he did if he didn't have a bunch of greedy people, willing to overlook the obvious, to con.

[GloriaY]

07:52 PM on 10/30/2011

The whistleblower was totally ignored, regulators did not do their duty, the players on Wall Street prove that they either do not know what they are doing, deliberately set out to defraud the shareholders,are insatiably greedy and allowed money to destroy their consciences. Not only are the Madoffs evil people but the entire Wall Street is evil. The family disclaiming any knowledge about his deception is a very very hard pill to swallow.

[Rogelio Lopez]

03:11 PM on 10/31/2011

Its absurd to think this level of corruption and greed stopped with him. He was the sacrificial lamb of Wall Street. The party continues..........

[pipestein]

07:49 PM on 10/30/2011

Why are we giving time to this slug? I did not and will not read the article. Bernie Madoff's whining is the sound of an angel getting his wings.

[LMPE]

07:21 PM on 10/30/2011

I always say that Bernie Madoff looks like Henry Winkler's evil twin.

[Leon Hodgkinson]

06:34 PM on 10/30/2011

Maybe, but I'll bet the overly amorous cell-mates weren't much fun either.

[fredgladys]

01:22 PM on 10/30/2011

I can't feel sympathy for the family, they lived high on the hog with other people's money for years and had all the benefits, so now it's time to get jobs, welcome to the real world.