Expresses disbelief he got away with his fraud for so long
In his first interview since being jailed, a “buff” Bernie Madoff expressed disbelief he got away with his Ponzi scheme for as long as he did, ABC News reports. Madoff was speaking to Joseph Cotchett, a San Francisco lawyer who has threatened to sue Madoff’s wife, sons and brother on behalf of a group of victims. Cotchett, who, with his legal partner, spoke with Madoff for four and a half hours, believes it was the threat of Ruth Madoff being sued that garnered him the interview. “He cares about Ruth,” Cotchett said, “but he doesn’t give a s— about his two sons, Mark and Andrew.” The sons have not spoken with their father or mother since Madoff’s arrest on December 11. Cotchett said Madoff, who’s serving a 150-year sentence, was extremely candid, telling him: “There were several times that I met with the SEC and thought ‘they got me,’ ” The lawyer also said he did not yet know if he would name Ruth or the sons in the lawsuit, but that he was almost certain to name Madoff’s brother, Peter, who served as the firm’s chief compliance officer.