Madoff to judge: I’m dying, can I get out of jail early?

Ponzi-scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff says he’s suffering from kidney disease with less than 18 months to live – and wants a federal judge to let him spend his final days at home.

The reviled fraudster is serving a 150year sentence for a massive $65 billion scam that bilked thousands of investors, wrecked lives and emptied retirement funds.

“I’m terminally ill,” Madoff said in phone interviews with The Washington Post, which first reported news of Madoff’s request. “There’s no cure for my type of disease. So, you know, I’ve served. I’ve served 11 years already, and, quite frankly, I’ve suffered through it.”

In a 27-page motion filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday, Madoff’s lawyer referenced the 2018 federal “First Step Act” that gives exemplary inmates the opportunity to earn “credits” they can use toward early release. It also references Scotland’s 2009 decision to grant the Lockerbie bomber compassionate release.

“Madoff does not dispute the severity of his crimes nor does he seek to minimize the suffering of his victims. Madoff has expressed remorse for his crimes,” wrote his lawyer, Brandon Sample. “Now, after over 10 years of incarceration and with less than 18 months to live, Madoff humbly asks this court for a modicum of compassion.”

The 81-year-old fraudster asked the federal Bureau of Prisons for compassionate release in September, pointing out he was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease and was living in a hospice wing at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C.

The Bureau of Prisons denied the request, writing in December that “Mr. Madoff was accountable for a loss to investors of over $13 billion. Accordingly, in light of the nature and circumstances of his offense, his release at this time would minimize the severity of his offense.”