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. 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.
As for Madoff, himself, lawyers probably will continue filing motions in coming months and years seeking to shorten his sentence by arguing, for example, about prison conditions, his health or any assistance given to prosecutors.
"His case is hardly over when the sentence is handed down," said Brian Gallini, a professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law. "There's going to be a constant effort to bring him back home."
