Hi there, Dr. E. here. Writing and photographing under the name Michael M’Guire, a colleague in New York has sent me this exclusive photo of just a small part of today’s NY courthouse-encampment– in which we see early-muster photogs and reporters bristling with their silver and black weaponry. The red and white sign in the upper left field says, No Standing Anytime.
And below too is Mr. M’Guire’s commentary on the scene prior to Bernie Madoff’s denouement this morning.
You can hardly believe the scene outside the courthouse where one Bernard Madoff shall today be sentenced. The Federal courthouse here in Manhattan — is often the scene of large crowds of journalists gathered to get precisely the same story. But today outside of the federal courthouse is the largest collection of journalists and spectators I have ever seen at a courthouse.
In the end, the only issue here today – even with what the defense lawyers will say, what the prosecutors will say, what the victims will say, what anyone says — is what the number is. The Number. The number of years which one of history’s greatest con-men will serve in prison as a result of his mind-bending thievery.
For today, there are no more angles to this story, no more issues, no more questions. Yes, we all want to know if he acted alone, whether his wife knew, what his sons knew, what everyone around him knew, should have known, or suspected. We want to know how such a massive fraud could have continued for so long.
We want to know what was in the mind of the criminal, and whether all the institutions and high falutin’ investors who had their money with Madoff– those who said “In Bernie We Trust” – really believed in their heart of hearts that their Bernie could continually produce otherwise unduplicatable results even in the leanest of years.
And in time, those issues, and countless others will be resolved. Or not.
But today, what matters is what Judge Denny Chin of the Southern District of New York says when he ends his words to Bernie. That is THE story.
So, as aforesaid, outside of the federal courthouse today is the largest collection of journalists and spectators I have ever seen at a courthouse. And I wonder are they there for the story? Or in part are they there for some deeper psychological reason? To see someone suffer? Is it not, in it’s own way, like the Roman Colloseum to have such clots of people waiting and breathing for the outcome? Does Judge Chin give thumbs up, and let Bernie live by sentencing him to the 12 years asked for by Bernie’s lawyers? (Vegas odds on the sentence being 12 years should probably be 50,000 to 1.) Or does he say thumbs down and send Bernie to a certain death in federal custody by sentencing him to more than 30 years? (Vegas odds say that that’s far more likely.)
Me? Were I the judge, I’d likely say that even though there is something noble to be said for someone pleading guilty, saving massive resources, and then throwing themselves on the mercy of the court… and even though judges seem to want so often to encourage defendants to feel that there will eventually be a ‘sentencing benefit’ by pleading guilty (after all, the thinking goes, he admitted his guilt when he didn’t have to, so let’s cut him a break)
…and even though perhaps not giving that break to someone will discourage someone later on from pleading guilty, (“hell, they didn’t give that guy a break, what makes me think they’ll give me a break?”) thus costing the government more in terms of prosutorial resources and ultimately cash, that there comes a time when you’ve just got to say – as parents so often warn – “Enough is enough.”
Enough thievery, enough lying, enough of this conduct which damages not only the individual victims but also the psyche of our society. Enough.
To me, Bernie should get slammed at sentencing.
Hard.
So that the people in our society know that there’s at least one person, one judge, one individual in our society upon whom we can count on to do the right thing …who has the guts to say ‘enough is enough.’
The people outside the courthouse today – may just be waiting to see if Judge Chin is ready to say “enough is enough.”
And then those hundreds of reporters can tell hundreds of others, who will tell hundreds of others, who will begin to spread the word, now being passed by thousands, to the millions who will want to know.
And then today’s spin can begin in earnest.
And so it goes, in lower Manhattan this day.
CODA
And now with sentencing of Bernard Madoff completed, ‘the number’ is: 150 years.
And it is clear, Judge Chin has said… Enough is Enough.
Photo above: Michael M’Guire ©2009, All Rights Reserved. Creative Commons copyright: You may copy and reuse photo with attribution and copyright notice and noting it appeared at The Moderate Voice as an exclusive.