Florida
Sister and brother-in-law of billionaire scammer Bernie Madoff found dead
Bernard Madoff before a court hearing in New York in 2009.
© Stuart Ramson / Picture Alliance
Another tragedy in the Madoff family. The 87-year-old sister of financial fraudster Bernie Madoff and her 90-year-old husband were found dead in their Florida apartment. The police are assuming an extended suicide.
The sister of the notorious billionaire fraudster Bernie Madoff was found dead next to her husband, who was also lifeless, in her apartment in Boynton Beach, Florida. This may be a so-called extended suicide, according to the local police. 87-year-old Sondra Wiener and her 90-year-old husband Marvin had gunshot wounds. So far, it has not been clarified who initiated the extended suicide, according to the investigators.
Investigations should not be published
The couple’s family wants to insist on using “Marsy’s Law” for Marvin Wiener, according to the sheriff. The law allows crime victims to keep personal information private to protect them from harassment. The Madoff family has long been struck by tragedy: a son of the investment fraudster committed suicide in 2010 and his brother died of cancer four years later. The brother of the now deceased brother-in-law was imprisoned for ten years for being involved in the crimes of Bernie Madoff.
Madoff, a longtime financial broker, died last April at the age of 82. With a kind of pyramid scheme, he had cheated investors out of billions for years. His victims included both private individuals and foundations, Hollywood actors and pension funds. He is considered the greatest financial fraudster in history.
Bernie Madoff used ‘Ponzi scheme’
In 2009 he was sentenced to 150 years in prison for theft, money laundering and forgery. The total damage was then estimated at around 50 billion euros. Madoff was a well-respected stock trader, but applied a “Ponzi scheme” to mutual funds: he promised (and sometimes paid) profits that came not from investment profits but from new customer deposits. The system collapsed when a customer reclaimed billions of dollars in deposits.
A year before his death, Madoff applied for parole due to kidney disease, but was denied. “When I sentenced Mr. Madoff in 2009, it was my clear intention that he spend the rest of his life behind bars,” Judge Denny Chin said.
Swell: CNNAFP