NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff says he has less than 18 months to live and has asked a federal judge to grant him a compassionate release from his 150-year prison sentence.
Madoff's lawyer filed court papers Wednesday saying the 81-year-old has terminal kidney failure.
Madoff told The Washington Post he's remorseful for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history and wants to salvage his relationships with his grandchildren.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the request but are expected to respond in court papers. Madoff pleaded guilty in 2009 to 11 felony charges related to money laundering, perjury and falsifying financial documents. He began his prison term in July 2009.
He swindling thousands of clients out of billions of dollars.
CNN reported that Madoff has been serving his sentence at a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina.
