Madoff beaten in prison

There have been various reports of Bernard Madoff (Bernard Madoff news) getting into some physical altercations at his prison home in Butner, NC, where's he serving 150 years.

On one occasion, he was said to have delivered something of a beatdown himself after some guy shoved him during a heated argument about the markets. Later, there were rumors that he was beaten rather severely, but those rumors were denied; his representatives said he was treated for dizziness and hypertension.

But now the Wall Street Journal reports that the incident was real after all. The paper says he was moved on Dec. 18 to the prison's low-security medical center for treatment for cracked ribs and a broken nose, among other injuries. The assailant is a felon serving time on drug charges, who's apparently convinced that Madoff owes him money.

Madoff has denied to prison officials that he was beaten, though that's hardly surprising, given prison life. But the Club Fed that many people assume he's living in may be rougher than imagined. Anyone thought to have that kind of money may be a tempting target. He's said to spend time with alleged Colombo crime-family boss Carmine Persico. Perhaps protection has been discussed?

For more:
- here's the Reuters article
- here's the CNN article

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