Madoff's Niece Calls Prison-Survival Expert: Report
Shana Madoff fears she might end up like her uncle
By JOHN P. WISE
Updated 7:30 AM EST, Mon, Apr 13, 2009
Bernie Madoff's niece is so worried about doing jail time that she's seeking prison survival tips from a consulting firm, sources told the New York Post.
Which brings to mind at least one curiosity: There's a consulting firm that helps would-be inmates prepare for incarceration?
The answer is yes, and it's called Wall Street Prison Consultants. On its Web site, in big, capital letters, WSPC asks visitors: "ARE YOU SCARED AND CONFUSED?"
Shana Madoff contacted the firm's founder, a former federal prisoner named Larry Levine, the sources told the Post.
"A female relative of Bernie Madoff contacted me," is all Levine would confirm to the paper. It sounds like she has reason to be scared.
Shana Madoff, 38, was a compliance officer for her uncle's firm before it was exposed as one giant Ponzi scheme. As compliance officer, Madoff's neice signed her name on a lot of legal documents.
Shana Madoff contacted Levine so that she can "learn how to game the system, so you end up in Club Fed, not Leavenworth," a source told the paper.
With its "Fedtime 101" course, Levine's firm instructs white-collar offenders on how to survive federal prison and earn an early release. These skills would come in handy for Shana Madoff, who grew up on six acres on Long Island. Her dad, Peter Madoff, is Bernie's brother.
Levine said that another male member of the Madoff family has called him, the Post reported.
"I give people a wakeup call," Levine told the paper. His course costs $850.
Meanwhile, thanks to a late surge in an eBay auction over the weekend, Bernie's two tickets for tonight's home opener at the brand-new Citi Field finally went for $7,500.
The top bids hovered around the $2,000 and $3,000 mark late last week, but that figure more than doubled when "rival bidders" continued to outgun each other late in the auction.
First Published: Apr 13, 2009 5:57 AM EST
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