Thursday, July 2, 2009
Joby Rogers - the best impersonator of Michael Jackson
Joby Rogers' facebook profile
JOBY ROGERS is said to be the best impersonator of Michael Jackson.
He is considered the best, ahead of thousands of MJ's impersonators across the globe.
And it was reported that Joby was given the approval as the best impersonator by the King of Pop himself!!
Joby, is an American whose talents have gained him international recognition.
Apart from the approval by MJ himself, his list of credentials include an appearance on the Cover of ROLLING STONE magazine.
In 2004 Joby was personally approved in a signed statement by Michael Jackson as "The Best" Michael Jackson impersonator.
Joby has also appeared on national TV including MTV, VH-1, NBC, CBS, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake, E! Entertainment, Comedy Central, and many more.
Joby has performed on tour in arenas, theaters, casinos and colleges for corporate and private functions both in the USA and internationally.
Joby also made appearances with celebrities such as B.B. King, Lenny Kravitz, Jon Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, and many others.
In addition to that, Joby has also appeared in print media including Howard Stern's best selling book "Miss America", USA Today, London Now, New York Post, Forbes, Marie Claire and numerous other printed media.
Well, after MJ is gone forever, maybe we can look at Joby Rogers performances and talents as a remembrance to the King of Pop!!!
Joby is on facebook too.
Like many of us, Joby too was devastated by the sudden death of MJ.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Mr Joking, I am not joking...!!!
Mr Joking, i am not joking, but you are transferred to another district.
Mr Joking, is a real name, no joke.
His full name is Joking Majalim and he is a firemen serving in the rural town of Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia.
He was transferred to Tenom, about 30 km from Keningau and it was reported by today's edition of the Daily Express.
In Sabah, we have at least 40 ethnics group and we have all sorts of names. For example in Semporna, an elderly man is known as Haji California (spelled Kalipunya), and some even are being named Malaysia..!! Heyy... I am not joking here.
Below is the Daily Express report..
Keningau: Six firemen here were transferred to serve at the Tenom Fire and Rescue Department.
They were Joking Majalim, Ruziana Dapar, George Saikun, Mudin Andai, Zanuty Gintik, Mohd Jefri Kamar and Sharudy Delamin.
Although they were sad to leave Keningau, they nevertheless accepted the new posting with an open heart.
Keningau Fire and Rescue chief, Lacius Salagon, when recording his appreciation to the firemen's services, said despite serving in different areas their friendship would remain.
He expressed hope that they will serve with higher commitment at their new postings.
Mr Joking, is a real name, no joke.
His full name is Joking Majalim and he is a firemen serving in the rural town of Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia.
He was transferred to Tenom, about 30 km from Keningau and it was reported by today's edition of the Daily Express.
In Sabah, we have at least 40 ethnics group and we have all sorts of names. For example in Semporna, an elderly man is known as Haji California (spelled Kalipunya), and some even are being named Malaysia..!! Heyy... I am not joking here.
Below is the Daily Express report..
Keningau: Six firemen here were transferred to serve at the Tenom Fire and Rescue Department.
They were Joking Majalim, Ruziana Dapar, George Saikun, Mudin Andai, Zanuty Gintik, Mohd Jefri Kamar and Sharudy Delamin.
Although they were sad to leave Keningau, they nevertheless accepted the new posting with an open heart.
Keningau Fire and Rescue chief, Lacius Salagon, when recording his appreciation to the firemen's services, said despite serving in different areas their friendship would remain.
He expressed hope that they will serve with higher commitment at their new postings.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Michael Jackson - the dramatic call to 911
THE desperate battle to revive Michael Jackson after his heart attack
revealed in a dramatic transcript of the 911 call.
But judging from the call, the person, in this case Dr Murray who administered CPR to Michael Jackson, apparently did it the wrong way!!
He did it while MJ was still on bed.
He should have done it on a hard surface (on the floor).
In the emergency call, a man is heard telling the operator that a 50-year-old man is not breathing and "needs help".
The caller becomes ever more frantic as the conversation continues and
says Jacko is "not responding to anything" - even as a doctor attempts
to resuscitate him.
This is the full transcript of the call - and you
can listen to it:
Caller: Yes sir I need to, I need an ambulance as soon as possible sir.
Operator: OK sir, what is your address?
Caller: Los Angeles, California. 90077.
Operator: Is it Carolwood?
Caller: Carolwood Drive, yes.
Caller: Yes, he's not breathing sir.
Operator: Ok. And he's not conscious either?
Caller: He's not conscious sir.
Operator: OK, all right. Do you have him, is he on the floor? Where is he at right now?
Caller: He's on the bed sir, he's on the bed.
Operator: OK, let's get him on the floor.
Caller: OK.
Well, that indicates that MJ was on bed when the CPR was done on him.
Operator: OK, let's get him down to the floor. May I help you with CPR right now, OK?
Caller: We need, to get, we need...
Operator: OK, we're already on our way there. We're on our way. I'm going to do as much as I can to help you over the phone. We're already on our way. Did anybody see him?
Caller: Yes, we have a personal doctor here with him, sir.
Operator: Oh, you have a doctor there?
Caller: Yeah, but he's not responding to anything, to no, no, he's not responding to the CPR or anything.
Operator: Oh, OK. We're on our way there. If your guys are doing CPR as instructed by a doctor, he has a higher authority than me, and he's there on the scene. Did anybody witness what happened?
Caller: No, just the doctor sir. The doctor's been the only one here.
Operator: OK, so did the doctor see what happened?
Caller: (Speaking to doctor) Doctor, did you see what happened sir? (Speaking to operator) Sorry, you just, if you can please...
Operator: We're on our way, we're on our way. I was, I'm just passing these questions on to our paramedics, but they're on their way there, sir.
Caller: Thank you sir. He's pumping, he's pumping the chest, he's not responding to anything sir. Please...
Operator: OK, OK, we're on our way. We're, we're less than a mile away, we'll be there shortly.
Caller: Thank you sir, thank you.
Operator: OK sir. Call us back if you need any help. Thank you. Goodbye.
Caller: Yes sir.
This is what supersonic looks like..
The breaking of the sound barrier is not just an audible phenomenon. As a new picture from the U.S. military shows, Mach 1 can be quite visual.
This widely circulated new photo shows a Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft participating in an exercise in the Gulf of Alaska June 22, 2009 as it executes a supersonic flyby over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
The visual phenomenon, which sometimes but not always accompanies the breaking of the sound barrier, has also been seen with nuclear blasts and just after space shuttles launches, too. A vapor cone was photographed as the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission rocketed skyward in 1969.
Mach 1 refers to a speed of 1,225 kilometres per hour!!! or 761 miles per hour!!!
The phenomenon is not well studied. Scientists refer to it as a vapor cone, shock collar, or shock egg, and it's thought to be created by what's called a Prandtl-Glauert singularity.
Here's what scientists think happens:
A layer of water droplets gets trapped between two high-pressure surfaces of air. In humid conditions, condensation can gather in the trough between two crests of the sound waves produced by the jet. This effect does not necessarily coincide with the breaking of the sound barrier, although it can. To learn more, click here.
The aircraft carrier was participating in Northern Edge 2009, an exercise focused on detecting and tracking things at sea, in the air and on land.
Source - LiveScience.com
Well, it was not the first time, such scientific supersonic phenomenon was captured on film.
Here an F/A-18 Hornet jetfighter was captured travelling at transonic speed and displaying the Prandtl–Glauert singularity just before reaching the speed of sound.
Can Superman fly faster than that??? Yes. In one Superman movie, Superman was seen travelling the whole orbit of earth in less than one second!!!
AP Exclusive: Insomniac Michael Jackson begged for drug
What really killed Michael Jackson??
The international media is racing against each other to find the answers.
The first media organisation to report exclusively on this aspect will get the "Scoop", thus higher readership and viewers.
The Associated Press, AP is ahead of other giant press agencies such as AFP (agencee French Presee), Reuters, CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC etc when they reported today about the possible cause of MJ's death.
AP reported that prior to his death, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was suffering from acute insomnia (sleep deprivation)that he wanted to get rid of with whatever means, which ultimately led to his death.
Based on an EXCLUSIVE interview with Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who specialises in nutritional counseling, AP reported that she repeatedly rejected MJ request for Diprivan, a drug functioning as a powerful sedative, to make people sleep.
Here is the exclusive story by AP :
Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously..
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said..
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff..
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said..
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away.".
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out.".
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks..
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said..
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use..
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest.".
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand..
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny..
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing..
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists..
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said..
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it..
"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her..
"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled..
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved..
Londell McMillan, attorney for Katherine and Joe Jackson, talked about Lee's disclosures Tuesday on CNN..
"It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law," he said. "I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor
Lee said he singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine..
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan..
"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name..
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom..
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'".
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day.".
Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.
source - AP
The international media is racing against each other to find the answers.
The first media organisation to report exclusively on this aspect will get the "Scoop", thus higher readership and viewers.
The Associated Press, AP is ahead of other giant press agencies such as AFP (agencee French Presee), Reuters, CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC etc when they reported today about the possible cause of MJ's death.
AP reported that prior to his death, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was suffering from acute insomnia (sleep deprivation)that he wanted to get rid of with whatever means, which ultimately led to his death.
Based on an EXCLUSIVE interview with Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who specialises in nutritional counseling, AP reported that she repeatedly rejected MJ request for Diprivan, a drug functioning as a powerful sedative, to make people sleep.
Here is the exclusive story by AP :
Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously..
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said..
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff..
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said..
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away.".
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out.".
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks..
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said..
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use..
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest.".
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand..
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny..
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing..
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists..
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said..
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it..
"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her..
"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled..
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved..
Londell McMillan, attorney for Katherine and Joe Jackson, talked about Lee's disclosures Tuesday on CNN..
"It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law," he said. "I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor
Lee said he singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine..
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan..
"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name..
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom..
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'".
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day.".
Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.
source - AP
Bernard Madoff gets maximum 150 years jail sentence!!!
Bernard Madoff will only be released from prison when he is 221 years old!!!
A federal judge in New York, today rejected Bernard Madoff's plea for leniency, sentencing the 71-year-old swindler to spend the rest of his life in prison for an "extraordinarily evil" fraud that took a staggering toll on thousands of victims.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin cited the unprecedented nature of the multibillion-dollar fraud as he sentenced Madoff to the maximum of 150 years in prison, a term comparable only to those given in the past to terrorists, traitors and the most violent criminals.
There is no parole in federal prison so Madoff will most likely die there.
However, Madoff's sentence was not the longest for a white-collar criminal. New York businessman Sholam Weiss, 55, was sentenced in February 2000 to 845 years in prison for his role in a plot that skimmed $400 million from an insurance company, costing many of its 25,000 customers their life savings. The government lists his release date as Nov. 23, 2754... at the age of 809 years!!!!
And Norman Schmidt, 73, was sentenced in Denver last year to 330 years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar investment scam. He's scheduled for release in September 2291... by then Schimdt will be 355 years old!!!!
"Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of irresponsible manipulation of the system is not merely a bloodless financial crime that takes place just on paper, but it is instead ... one that takes a staggering human toll," US District Judge, Denny Chin said in sentencing Madoff.
Prosecutor Lisa Baroni said Madoff deserved a life sentence because he "stole ruthlessly and without remorse."
"He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in between. He had no values," said Tom Fitzmaurice. "He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife, Ruth, could live a life of luxury beyond belief."
Dominic Ambrosino called it an "indescribably heinous crime" and urged a long prison sentence so he "will know he is imprisoned in much the same way he imprisoned us and others."
The massive Ponzi scheme run by Madoff since at least the early 1990s demolished the life savings of thousands of people, wrecked charities and shook confidence in the U.S. financial system.
The actual loss so far has been put at $13.2 billion. But the judge said that was a conservative estimate and noted that even Madoff told his sons in December it was a $50 billion fraud.
The sentence reflected a growing tendency over the last decade to give white-collar criminals lengthy prison terms — although a handful of cases have received even longer terms. The outcome prompted scattered applause and whoops from a group of burned former clients in a packed Manhattan courtroom.
The judge noted that not one of the more than 100 letters he received supported Madoff or described any good deeds he had done.
"The absence of such support is telling," Chin said.
Chin announced the sentence with Madoff standing at the defense table, wearing a dark suit, a white shirt and a tie and looking thinner than he did at his last court appearance in March. He gave no noticeable reaction when the sentence was announced.
When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say, Madoff slowly stood, leaned forward on the defense table and spoke in a monotone for about 10 minutes. At various times, he referred to his monumental fraud as a "problem," "an error of judgment" and "a tragic mistake."
He claimed he and his wife were tormented, saying she "cries herself to sleep every night, knowing all the pain and suffering I have caused," he said. "That's something I live with, as well."
He then finally looked at the victims lining the first row of the gallery.
"I will turn and face you," he said mechanically. "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't help you."
Madoff's wife, Ruth Madoff — often a target of victims' scorn since her husband's arrest — broke her silence afterward by issuing a statement through her lawyer. She said she, too, had been misled.
"I am embarrassed and ashamed," she said. "Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused. The man who committed this horrible fraud is not the man whom I have known for all these years."
Madoff, who has been jailed since March, already has taken a severe financial hit: Last week, a judge issued a preliminary $171 billion forfeiture order stripping Madoff of all his personal property, including real estate, investments, and $80 million in assets his wife Ruth had claimed were hers. The order left her with $2.5 million that couldn't be tied to the fraud.
The terms require the Madoffs to sell a $7 million Manhattan apartment where Ruth Madoff still lives. An $11 million estate in Palm Beach, Fla., a $4 million home in Montauk and a $2.2 million boat will be put on the market as well.
Before Madoff became a symbol of Wall Street greed, he earned a reputation as a trusted money manager with a Midas touch. Even as the market fluctuated, clients of his secretive investment advisory business — from Florida retirees to celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax — for decades enjoyed steady double-digit returns.
But late last year, Madoff made a dramatic confession: Authorities say he pulled his sons aside and told them it was "all just one big lie."
Madoff pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud and other charges, saying he was "deeply sorry and ashamed." He insisted that he acted alone, describing a separate wholesale stock-trading firm run by his sons and brother as honest and legitimate.
A federal judge in New York, today rejected Bernard Madoff's plea for leniency, sentencing the 71-year-old swindler to spend the rest of his life in prison for an "extraordinarily evil" fraud that took a staggering toll on thousands of victims.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin cited the unprecedented nature of the multibillion-dollar fraud as he sentenced Madoff to the maximum of 150 years in prison, a term comparable only to those given in the past to terrorists, traitors and the most violent criminals.
There is no parole in federal prison so Madoff will most likely die there.
However, Madoff's sentence was not the longest for a white-collar criminal. New York businessman Sholam Weiss, 55, was sentenced in February 2000 to 845 years in prison for his role in a plot that skimmed $400 million from an insurance company, costing many of its 25,000 customers their life savings. The government lists his release date as Nov. 23, 2754... at the age of 809 years!!!!
And Norman Schmidt, 73, was sentenced in Denver last year to 330 years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar investment scam. He's scheduled for release in September 2291... by then Schimdt will be 355 years old!!!!
"Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of irresponsible manipulation of the system is not merely a bloodless financial crime that takes place just on paper, but it is instead ... one that takes a staggering human toll," US District Judge, Denny Chin said in sentencing Madoff.
Prosecutor Lisa Baroni said Madoff deserved a life sentence because he "stole ruthlessly and without remorse."
"He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in between. He had no values," said Tom Fitzmaurice. "He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife, Ruth, could live a life of luxury beyond belief."
Dominic Ambrosino called it an "indescribably heinous crime" and urged a long prison sentence so he "will know he is imprisoned in much the same way he imprisoned us and others."
The massive Ponzi scheme run by Madoff since at least the early 1990s demolished the life savings of thousands of people, wrecked charities and shook confidence in the U.S. financial system.
The actual loss so far has been put at $13.2 billion. But the judge said that was a conservative estimate and noted that even Madoff told his sons in December it was a $50 billion fraud.
The sentence reflected a growing tendency over the last decade to give white-collar criminals lengthy prison terms — although a handful of cases have received even longer terms. The outcome prompted scattered applause and whoops from a group of burned former clients in a packed Manhattan courtroom.
The judge noted that not one of the more than 100 letters he received supported Madoff or described any good deeds he had done.
"The absence of such support is telling," Chin said.
Chin announced the sentence with Madoff standing at the defense table, wearing a dark suit, a white shirt and a tie and looking thinner than he did at his last court appearance in March. He gave no noticeable reaction when the sentence was announced.
When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say, Madoff slowly stood, leaned forward on the defense table and spoke in a monotone for about 10 minutes. At various times, he referred to his monumental fraud as a "problem," "an error of judgment" and "a tragic mistake."
He claimed he and his wife were tormented, saying she "cries herself to sleep every night, knowing all the pain and suffering I have caused," he said. "That's something I live with, as well."
He then finally looked at the victims lining the first row of the gallery.
"I will turn and face you," he said mechanically. "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't help you."
Madoff's wife, Ruth Madoff — often a target of victims' scorn since her husband's arrest — broke her silence afterward by issuing a statement through her lawyer. She said she, too, had been misled.
"I am embarrassed and ashamed," she said. "Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused. The man who committed this horrible fraud is not the man whom I have known for all these years."
Madoff, who has been jailed since March, already has taken a severe financial hit: Last week, a judge issued a preliminary $171 billion forfeiture order stripping Madoff of all his personal property, including real estate, investments, and $80 million in assets his wife Ruth had claimed were hers. The order left her with $2.5 million that couldn't be tied to the fraud.
The terms require the Madoffs to sell a $7 million Manhattan apartment where Ruth Madoff still lives. An $11 million estate in Palm Beach, Fla., a $4 million home in Montauk and a $2.2 million boat will be put on the market as well.
Before Madoff became a symbol of Wall Street greed, he earned a reputation as a trusted money manager with a Midas touch. Even as the market fluctuated, clients of his secretive investment advisory business — from Florida retirees to celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax — for decades enjoyed steady double-digit returns.
But late last year, Madoff made a dramatic confession: Authorities say he pulled his sons aside and told them it was "all just one big lie."
Madoff pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud and other charges, saying he was "deeply sorry and ashamed." He insisted that he acted alone, describing a separate wholesale stock-trading firm run by his sons and brother as honest and legitimate.
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