Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff 'attacked in prison'
Bernard Madoff was 'attacked by inmate' last December, reports claim
Thursday, 18, Mar 2010 12:51
Bernard Madoff, the US fraudster currently serving a 150-year sentence, was attacked by another inmate in a federal prison, reports claim.
Three people "familiar with the matter" told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Madoff - whose fraud scheme cost investors billions of dollars - was physically assaulted by another inmate back in December.
At the time he was moved to a low-security medical centre, where prison officers said he was being treated for dizziness and hypertension. However, it now looks likely that he had been treated following an assault at the Butner NC prison.
Madoff, who pleaded guilty to a $65 billion global investment fraud, was reportedly assaulted following a dispute with an inmate who thought he owed him money.
The bureau of prisons was reported as saying it had investigated the incident, a process that included an interview with Madoff.
"In December he told staff he was not assaulted, and an investigation was completed following his statements, which corroborated his statements," said Traci Billingsley, a bureau of prisons spokeswoman.
"Not one inmate has told staff he was assaulted."
The WSJ said that when it asked Ms Billingsley about the alleged attacker, she said the incident would be "virtually impossible" because that prisoner lived in a different unit from Madoff.