Madoff. Bernie - Inside his New Home... for the...
Inside Bernie Madoff's New Home... for the Next 150 Years
After being sentenced to the maximum life term in prison, the Ponzi prince is headed to back to temporary jail. But soon he'll be headed to federal prison, where one lawyer says "psycho" inmates could be waiting to stab him.
March 19, 2009
As the epically slimy financial swindler Bernie Madoff pled guiltthis morning, even his attorneys seemed to agree he would be taking up a long, hard, and certainly permanent residency in the clink. Due to the sheer magnitude of his crime and the probable length of his sentence (150 years), Madoff won't be headed to one of those cushy country-club lockups like the one where Martha Stewart spent five months knitting tea cozies. Presiding judge Denny Chin just revoked Madoff's bail and banished him to await sentencing for up to three months at the Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan. From there, while it's technically possible Madoff could end up in a maximum-security or "supermax" prison like Sing Sing, odds are he's headed to a medium-security federal prison, somewhere within shouting distance of his $7 million Manhattan penthouse.
Defense attorney Jeff Chabrowe of the Blanch Law Firm, whose white-collar criminal clients include Morgan Stanley VP Richard Garaventa (charged with stealing $2.8 million from his own firm), pinpoints the Otisville Correctional Facility in Mount Hope, New York, as a likely contender. He helped us take a closer look at the prison to paint a picture of how Madoff might be spending the rest of his life.
The Death Threats
Otisville is home to about 1,100 prisoners, many of whom are convicted of violent crimes like murder, rape, and assault. Last year, the whole place went into lockdown when a fight between inmates got out of control. But Chabrowe says that Madoff would likely be cordoned off from the general prison population to protect him from possible threats. "There are a million psycho federal inmates in custody who would love to say that they stabbed Bernie Madoff," he says.
The Rapist Bunk Mates
Madoff will not, however, be alone. Chabrowe speculates he will be put in a small unit with other "at-risk" residents, including, he says, fellow high-profile inmates, cooperators (known on the inside as snitches), rapists, and child molesters. Unlike those in supermax facilities, inmates in medium-security prisons like Otisville share cells and sleep in dormitory-style bunk beds.
The Bribed Guards
While it's certainly not anymore legal than his nonexistent financial practices, Madoff may end up taking protection into his own hands by paying off guards and other inmates to watch his back. According to Chabrowe, it's common practice, at least for wealthy inmates like ex-TYCO CEO Dennis Kozlowski, who was sentenced to eight years in a medium-security state lockup. "Most of these guys have people inside who take care of them," says Chabrowe. "There's just no way that Madoff isn't going to be paying guards to give him special treatment."
The Friendly Neighbors
Were he to be incarcerated in Otisville, Madoff would share an address (and maybe a communal shower?) with notorious cocaine trafficker George Jung, whose involvement in the Medellin Cartel was the basis for the movie Blow. Other famous inmates include Zvonko Busic, the Croatian plane hijacker who burrowed his way out of Otisville in 1987, and Edward Norton's fictional character in the Spike Lee film25th Hour.
The "Conjugal" Visits
Prisoners in medium-security facilities like Otisville typically are allowed one 45-minute visit per week, says Chabrowe. Of course, if Ruth Madoff, who is now facing several civil lawsuits of her own, wants to visit her husband, she'd better cover up well. Otisville has a notoriously strict dress code and has been known to turn away visitors with too much skin on display.
The Kosher Meals
One thing Madoff won't have to give up is Passover dinner. Otisville is one of only a few federal penitentiaries in the country that has a full-time Jewish chaplain, a kosher kitchen, and weekly Shabbat services. So Bernie's got that going for him, which is nice.