The death of Bernie Madoff has prompted reaction from victims, lawyers and observers.
In an interview with NY1, Attorney Jerry Reisman, who represented victims of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, detailed conversations he had with some of them regarding the news.
“'Unfortunately he died and couldn’t spend more time in jail,'” Reisman recounted one saying.
“'We won’t miss him and he deserved his fate,'” another told him.
Reisman said those sentiments likely represent what victims as a whole are feeling on this day.
“They all suffered probably greater than Bernie Madoff suffered in jail,” Reisman said. “No one’s going to miss Bernie Madoff.”
Madoff was once thought of as a preeminent investor with the golden touch, explained Andrew Kirtzman, who wrote “Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff.”
People lined up to get into what they felt was an “exclusive club,” he said.
“Bernie Madoff will go down as probably the most despised financial leader in American history,” Kirtzman told NY1. “The amount of ruin that he caused both financial and otherwise is just incalculable.”
“There are people who committed suicide because they lost all their life’s fortunes from him,” he said. “There were bankers who committed suicide. His son Mark committed suicide. It was a complete debacle all because of one man whose greed overcame what was a spectacular financial career.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio weighed in on the news of Madoff’s passing as he learned of it during his Wednesday morning press briefing.
“The day someone passes is not the time to dance on a grave but let’s just be honest — many, many people were hurt by his actions and it’s time to hopefully turn the page and move forward,” de Blasio said.
Someone who expressed feelings of sadness was Helen Davis Chaitman — she has been an advocate for victims of Madoff.
“The sadness for me is that I would’ve hoped that in the time since Madoff confessed we would have at least learned the truth about what he did,” Chaitman said.
She fears the full truth about the scheme will never be revealed.