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Madoff heads to court with plea in the works
Bernard Madoff, expected to plead guilty this week to charges of running Wall Street's biggest fraud, will appear in court on Tuesday for a judge to assess a potential conflict of interest for his lead attorney. Madoff, out on $10-million bail but under 24-hour house arrest and electronic surveillance in his luxury Manhattan apartment, last appeared on January 14 for a bail hearing. Tuesday's hearing is scheduled for 3pm (19:00GMT).Manhattan federal court officials have reserved an assembly room with an audio/visual feed in anticipation of hosting some of his former investors and frenzied media coverage on Thursday when the disgraced financier attends a plea proceeding. Metal barricades were erected on the sidewalk across the street from the courthouse to establish an area for TV crews. A court document signed last Friday by prosecutors and Madoff's attorney indicated Madoff would waive an indictment by a grand jury and plead guilty to criminal charges before Judge Denny Chin in the United States District Court. Other court filings showed the judge approved a government request for bilked victims to be heard in court, but they must give the prosecutor's office 24-hour notice, by 10am (14:00GMT) on Wednesday. Madoff was charged with one count of securities fraud when he was arrested on December 11, but has yet to formally answer it. Under the terms of his bail, the former Nasdaq stock market chairperson who authorities say confessed to running a "giant Ponzi scheme" over decades, may leave his penthouse for court appearances only. It will be several weeks or even months before Madoff is sentenced, but given his age (70) he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Posted by: Fred 2009-03-11 |
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