Madoff Asks Trump to Commute His 150-Year Sentence

After Bernard L. Madoff admitted to masterminding the largest Ponzi scheme in history and bilking thousands of investors out of their cash, he was punished with a sentence that made it likely he would die in federal prison — 150 years.

Now, a decade into his time, at the age of 81, Mr. Madoff is seeking to have his sentence commuted by President Trump. He has filed a petition for clemency with the Justice Department, according to their website.

It was not clear when Mr. Madoff filed his petition, or what arguments he is making for the request. The Justice Department declined to comment. The department’s website said that information in its online clemency database was last updated on July 1, and that Mr. Madoff’s request, which was first reported by CNBC, was still pending on that date.

Petitions for clemency, which include pardons and sentence commutations, are sent to the Office of the Pardon Attorney in the Justice Department. The office reviews petitions and makes recommendations on their merits to the president, who has constitutional authority to grant pardons and make final decisions on cases.