Victims lash out at Madoff sentencing
30 Jun 2009 6:30 AM
Excerpts from statements made by victims of Bernard Madoff's financial fraud. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison on Monday.
"I was introduced to Bernard Madoff 21 years ago at a business meeting. ... I now view that day as perhaps the unluckiest day of my life. ... This beast who I call Madoff. He walks among us. He dresses like us ... but underneath the facade is a true beast. ... He is an equal opportunity destroyer." - Sheryl Weinstein.
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"The man sitting in this courtroom robbed me. ... He discarded me like road kill. ... Forgiveness for now will have to come from someone other than me." - Miriam Siegman.
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"He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in-between. He had no values. ... His was a violent crime without the use of a tangible weapon. ... My life will never be the same. I am financially ruined and will worry every day about how I will take care of my wife." - Tom Fitzmaurice.
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"I can remember the exact second my wife told me the news. ... The fallout from having your entire life savings robbed from right under your nose is like nothing you can describe. ... In a sense, I would like somebody in the court today to tell me how long is my sentence." - Dominic Ambrosino.
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"Life has been a living hell. It feels like the nightmare we can't wake from." - Carla Hirshhorn.
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"Bernard Madoff should no longer be let back in society." - Michael Schwartz.
