Keeping It Real: Why is Bernie Madoff Home?

[ecstatic]

The travesty in the Madoff case and many other cases around the country is that people of color and the poor are disproportionately incarcerated and held without bail or with unreachable bail at a disproportionate amount compared to whites. If a person in Compton steals a loaf of bread they are subjected to jail and have to wait for trial. Madoff, on the other hand, even after robbing endless people, was ordered under house arrest and proceeded to violate the terms of that agreement by mailing jewels and money to relatives and friends. And, even after this newfound revelation that he violated the terms of his bail, a Judge sent him back to his Penthouse on 64th Street in Manhattan. The Madoff case represents the crisis in the criminal justice system with "Different Strokes for Different Folks" mentality and while Madoff is under house arrest in his 64th street Penthouse, disenfranchised and poor people all over the country are being railroaded by the criminal justice system spending endless time waiting for trials on lesser counts.

National Action Network under the leadership of the Decency Initiative will protest this disparity this Saturday in front of Bernie Madoff's home because while Madoff is in the Penthouse, our people are in the Big House."

--Al Sharpton

http://www.lasentinel.net/Keeping-It-Real-Why-is-Bernie-Madoff-Home.html

[panader0]

1. Infuriating isn't it.

[KharmaTrain]

2. If The Story Of His MobTies Are True

No wonder they're keeping him in his apartment...he'd be dead meat inside any correctional facility. With all the anger and rage this slimeball has brought upon himself, methinks this may be the only way to get him to trial in one piece. Then let them tear him up.

[customerserviceguy]

3. He may well have decided to flip on some of those ties

Frankly, I have a hunch that he got a "you have one year left to live" type of diagnosis. Remember, if he hadn't told his sons to turn him in, he'd still be playing this game. I'm sure he's trying to make them look like the good guys so that they can keep the ill-gotten gains that he's passed on to them.

There's a lot more to this story that we don't know - yet.

[ecstatic]

8. Interesting. I didn't think about that

I think his entire family coordinated it and his sons and wife should be tried as well!

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. His Mother was a crook too and forbidden to trade by the SEC in the 60s

She got caught and got off with wrist slap.

[louis-t]

4. I read that the judge made him "promise"

not to send any more jewels to his relatives. "Oh, OK, I won't." :eyes: There will be nothing left to seize by the time he goes to trial.

[sam sarrha]

7. he'll fake a suicide then go play with the other others that sneaked out that way

[sam sarrha]

5. the ReThuglicans believe that wealth is evidence of gods favor of a man, its a sin to tax a rich man

or mess with him.. that is why they demand tax cuts for the rich

[Coyote_Bandit]

6. There is a double standard in the criminal justice system

If the offender is a politician or a public figure or a white collar criminal then any penalties are disporportionatly low in relation to other offenders. OJ got away with murder. The politician tax cheats were allowed to suddenly come clean and make payments without further consequences. And Madoff much like other white collar criminals is under house arrest. ANd it may not be different even if he is convicted. Need an example? Look no further than Wal-Mart former executive Coughlin who was allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest.

Unfortunately, it is not just people of color and the poor who suffer inequities in our justice system.

[disndat]

9. He must have friends in high places,

like Schumer and Morganthau, or he's got the 'goods' on some of them. This is a preposterous situation.

[barbtries]

10. it's so blatantly unfair

it triggers nasty memories of 5 days in 1997, twisted towers, los angeles.

[AwakeAtLast]

12. The guy who crashed his plane after he parachuted out is in jail

and he got away with a lot less than Madoff.

[Ikonoklast]

13. He would be a dead man in less than a week.

He has made some powerful enemies, not all in this country.

[earth mom]

14. I'm waiting for him to pull some kind of escape act. You just know he's gonna try-the bastard.

:puke:

[blm]

15. IranContra/BCCI redux - from what I've noticed, Madoff's gonna get a wristslap like Marc Rich

because he's been an OPERATIVE for decades for the global fascists.....want to bet he has the same or similar connections?

[Mike 03]

16. It is out-freaking-rageous.

The answer you will get from the legal system is that "he's not a threat to anyone." But we all know that the real reason people are held in jail is because they have hurt somebody else, and this son of a bitch has hurt thousands of people.

It's absolutely essential to freeze his assets and if they have not already been done so, declare them "Uncollected Disgorgement" and seek them to help repay victims.