Bernie Madoff had toes amputated in dramatic final days of his life
Madoff had two toes amputated while he suffered from hallucinations as he battled kidney disease
Susan Li: Bernie Madoff's story will go down in history as a cautionary tale
FOX Business’ Susan Li gives details on Bernie Madoff.
Notorious con man Bernie Madoff had multiple toes amputated during the final days of his battle with kidney disease.
The 82-year-old Madoff, who was serving a 150-year prison sentence as a result of a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, died in a federal prison hospital on April 14, where a dramatic final week led to him having two toes amputated while he suffered from hallucinations after declining dialysis to treat the disease.
A week before Madoff died, the disgraced former financier reportedly screamed for assistance. When a nurse arrived, Madoff stared at the floor and wiggled his foot while yelling "Help! I hate this f–king place!," according to prison records obtained by Market Watch.
When the nurse told Madoff to stop yelling because he was disturbing other inmates, Madoff replied, "F–k them!"
BERNIE MADOFF, MASTERMIND OF VAST PONZI SCHEME, DIES IN FEDERAL PRISON AT AGE 82
The nurse then reportedly told Madoff to stop cursing and asked him what was wrong.
"I gave them a pass, and no one is respecting me or doing anything! I can’t believe they are doing this to me," an agitated Madoff replied, though he was too confused to explain to the nurse what situation he was referencing
He then stopped answering questions, instead burying his face in his hands while he sat on the bed.
The fourth toe on his foot later had to be amputated as a result of gangrene, while the toe next to it also had to be amputated to prevent the infection from spreading further.
Madoff's hallucinations became so severe that at one point he thought he saw a bird in a guard's pocket, while on other occasions he believed people were lurking in his room at night.
The disgraced financier also suffered from severe coronary artery disease, which left him gasping for breath on short walks. He received methadone for pain, was put on oxygen tanks, and had lost eight teeth.
The harrowing week was part of 17 months Madoff spent in the prison's hospice care, though he attempted to apply for early release as a result of his terminal condition.
He told prison officials that he planned to move to Baltimore for treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital, at one point telling a social worker that "he has several people [redacted] that can assist and some who are ‘indebted’ to him."
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Madoff's request was initially denied by the prison's warden, who thought his crimes were too severe to qualify for early release. The warden eventually submitted the request to a judge when health workers said Madoff met the criteria for compassionate release, but Judge Denny Chin rejected the request on the grounds that Madoff "was never truly remorseful, and that he was only sorry that his life as he knew it was collapsing around him."
Madoff signed a do-not-resuscitate order two days before his death, after which he fell out of his bed and was found by prison staff on the floor of his cell.
Doctor's noted that he had appeared to reach the "terminal cliff" and transitioned him to a morphine drip. He died on April 14 of end-stage renal failure.