Bernie Madoff Calls Himself a 'Human Pinata'

Bernard Madoff has been speaking out from prison again, this time attacking the judge who sentenced him. He told The New York Times that Judge Denny Chin had made him "the human pinata of Wall Street," saying he felt the judge was "anything but fair, with zero understanding of the industry." Madoff, who pleaded guilty to a massive ponzi scheme in 2009, seems to feel Chin had made him a scapegoat for all the Wall Street bankers and investors whose actions caused the nation's financial collapse of 2008. " 'Remember,' he said, 'they caused the recession, not me.' " In a separate story, Chin told Times reporter Benjamin Weiser that Madoff's lawyer had sought a prison term lower than the maximum of 150 years Chin eventually handed down. "Judge Chin said he quickly rejected the idea of a 12-year sentence for Mr. Madoff, but pondered whether 20 to 25 years might be acceptable. He ultimately concluded that even that 'would have been just way too low.' " Madoff was 71 when he was sentenced and he did not appeal.