Bernard L. Madoff, the mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, said in a court filing on Wednesday that he was dying and asked for an early release from prison, the New York Times reported. Madoff, 81, has less than 18 months to live after entering the final stages of kidney disease, the filing said. In 2009, Madoff admitted to running a scheme that bilked thousands of investors out of their cash, wiping out his victims’ savings and destroying lives. He was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison. “Madoff does not dispute the severity of his crimes, nor does he seek to minimize the suffering of his victims,” his lawyer, Brandon Sample, wrote in the filing. “Madoff humbly asks this court for a modicum of compassion.” Doctors determined in September that Madoff had less than a year and a half to live, according to Bureau of Prisons medical records included in the filing. Under federal guidelines, prisoners who receive a diagnosis of an incurable illness that is expected to kill them in 18 months or less can be eligible for early release.
