5
Another Judge Sends Madoff Home
Feds' appeal to put financial scammer behind bars rejected
By M. Morris
|
Posted Jan 14, 09 2:54 PM CST
|
Share
(Newser)
–
A second judge rejected a bid to revoke Bernard Madoff's bail during a hearing today in which the accused scam artist wore a bulletproof vest, Bloomberg reports, sending him home to his Manhattan penthouse rather than into custody. Prosecutors argued Madoff can’t be trusted, citing attempts to mail jewelry to relatives and friends, but the decision wasn’t unexpected—federal judges typically don’t overrule their peers without compelling new evidence.
"The defendant should not be trusted with a second chance to dissipate assets," the government argued in a brief filed yesterday, the New York Times adds. Madoff will remain under house arrest, and Judge Lawrence McKenna ordered an inventory of his possessions and a new restriction: All of his outgoing mail must be screened.