Madoff victims: Toss Bernie in jail and let him rot Burt Ross "Why should he be living in a penthouse after he's done what he's done?

Madoff victims: Toss Bernie in jail and let him rot
BY ERICA PEARSON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, January 12th 2009, 2:09 AM

For Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme victims, what to do with him is a no-brainer.
A federal judge is set Monday to decide whether to revoke Madoff's bail and put him in jail, as prosecutors have urged.
His victims say it's outrageous that he has been allowed to serve house arrest in his cushy East Side pad.
"Why should he be living in a penthouse after he's done what he's done?" asked Burt Ross, 64, a former mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., who lost about $5 million.
"If he goes to jail, I certainly will not lose any sleep over it," he said. "It is hard for me to feel compassionate for the guy. I hope he lives an extremely long life, and that he spends all of it in a federal penitentiary."
Madoff's bail should be revoked, no question about it, said retired carpet salesman Arnold Sinkin, 77, who lost 85% of his life savings when the elaborate Ponzi scheme collapsed.
"I think the man ruined a gajillion lives, and he deserves to be in jail," said a Westchester woman whose family lost millions.
Prosecutors say Madoff, who posted $10 million bail after his Dec. 11 arrest, should be jailed without bail after mailing diamond watches and other pricey baubles to friends and family.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Litt said Madoff broke a court order freezing his assets and is also a flight risk, so he must be locked up. Defense lawyers said Madoff, 70, has no plans to disappear.
Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis in Manhattan Federal Court is expected to make a decision by noon today. "He certainly has the wherewithal to be a flight risk," said Ross. "I think that when you have somebody who is clearly an evil genius, you can't believe anything he says."
Sinkin, a Brooklynite who retired with his wife to Boynton Beach, Fla., said he was astonished Madoff tried to pull the jewelry stunt in the first place.
"For a man that pulled the wool over the eyes of 8,000 investors, that was a pretty stupid thing to do," he said.