Madoff gets 150 years
29/06/2009
Ponzi fraudster will spend rest of his life behind bars
US frauster Bernard Madoff has been given the maximum prison sentence of 150 years for masterminding a Ponzi scheme that robbed investors of an estimated $65bn (£40bn).
The sentence was greeted with cheers and applause in the packed courtroom. It means Madoff will spend the rest of his life in jail
US District Judge Denny Chin said he wanted to send a message that Madoff's crimes were "extraordinarily evil".
Madoff's lawyer had sought a more lenient sentence of 12 years.
Read The Big Issue's investigation into financial reform here.
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