The final days of notorious Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff have been revealed following the release of 4,000 pages of medical records by the Bureau of Prisons -- and they paint a picture of a depressed and debilitating man, with severely declining physical and mental health.
Marketwatch obtained the records of the former billionaire Nasdaq chair -- who died at 82 on April 14, 2021 after spending more than a decade in a North Carolina federal prison for cheating investors out of billions -- through a freedom of information act request.
Madoff spent the last 17 months in hospice dying from kidney failure.
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Madoff, who had developed end-stage renal failure, also developed in 2020 gangrene in the fourth toe of his left foot — not uncommon for people with renal failure. He eventually had that toe and the one next to it amputated to prevent the gangrene from spreading.
However, records reportedly show Madoff's health had already taken a toll on his health — suffering from severe coronary artery disease, and having an eight of his teeth removed.
During the last year of his life, he relied on wheelchair access, a cocktail of prescription drugs, oxygen tanks to breathe and underwent dialysis three times a week, though he reportedly refused treatment finding it too crippling.
Records show Madoff typically refused medical treatment despite his kidney and heart issues, including resisting a suggested kidney transplant.
Soon after pleading guilty to securities fraud, money laundering and perjury in 2009, he was transported to a minimum-security prison in Butner, N.C.
Madoff had several medical episodes, including a fainting spell that required seven stitches and intracranial bleeding, a small heart attack in 2013 and necessary surgery to remove his prostate.
MarketWatch reports his mental health began to decline, at one point, telling doctors he "felt crazy" and said he saw a bird inside a corrections officer's jacket pocket. He grew more angry and confused as his heath diminished.
Two days before his death, Madoff was found on the floor of his cell after falling out of bed — unable to respond to anything besides his name. Doctors said he reached a "terminal cliff."
Madoff, who had signed a do-not-resuscitate order, was visited by a prison rabbi and later was put on morphine as it became more difficult for him to breathe. He ultimately died of end-stage renal failure.
His death came 10 months after federal judge Denny Chin denied his request for an early release arguing that Madoff was never truly sorry for his actions.
“Mr. Madoff was never truly remorseful ... he was only sorry that his life as he knew it was collapsing around him," he said.
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