Madoff gets 150 years

June 29, 2009 | By Jim Kim

We expected a tough sentence to be handed to Bernard Madoff by U.S. District Judge Denny Chin; we were not disappointed. The judge indicated that he needed to send a message. So he sentenced Madoff to 150 years in prison for the biggest Ponzi scheme ever, to enthusiastic applause.

"Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll," Chin was quoted by the AP.

Of course, at 71 years old, he'll spend very little of that time in jail. The focus may turn to where he will spend the rest of his life. Some victims were allowed to speak, and they offered some emotional testimony. One said he has been forced to scavenge for food in a dumpster. We're still far from closure on this. The investigation continues; there just has to be more to it.

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