Madoff Sentencing Delayed; Overflow Crowd Expected

Defrauded investors who can’t wait to see admitted Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff sent up the river for the rest of his life for running a $65 million Ponzi scheme will have to wait a little longer.

The New York City federal judge presiding over the case just announced that Madoff’s sentencing hearing, which had been set for June 16, will be delayed until June 29. Madoff, 70, pleaded guilty in March to running a massive investment fraud and faces up to 150 years in prison when he is sentenced.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin gave no reason for the nearly two-week delay, but it could be that more chairs are needed to accommodate what is expected to be a huge crowd of news media and court watchers who want to attend the hearing.

When Madoff appeared in court in March to plead guilty to charges he conned thousands of investors over nearly 20 years, hundreds of spectators and news media crammed into either the courtroom to hear the proceedings or lined the streets outside the courthouse to get updates.

Court officials are once again bracing for “Madoffmania” when the sentencing date arrives. In an effort to open the proceedings up to as many spectators as possible, the hearing will be held in a larger, ceremonial courtroom in U.S. District Court in Manhattan rather than the judge’s regular courtroom, officials said.

The sentencing hearing also will be shown live on video screens set up in two overflow viewing rooms.

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