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Bernie Madoff Will Not Attend Son's Funeral, Says Lawyer

By DNAinfo Staff on December 13, 2010 4:56pm

By Shayna Jacobs

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — Disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff will not attend the funeral of his eldest son who committed suicide over the weekend in his SoHo apartment, the fraudster's lawyer said Monday.

"He will not be attending the funeral out of consideration for his daughter-in-law's and grandchildren's privacy," said Ira Lee Sorkin, Madoff's lawyer.

Madoff, 72, is currently serving a 150-year federal prison sentence in North Carolina. Sorkin told DNAinfo Madoff will conduct a "private service" at the prison but would not disclose whether family members will attend.

Sorkin would not discuss whether the elder Madoff is eligible to request a temporary release by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Mark Madoff, 46, hung himself in his apartment with a black dog leash and was discovered on Saturday by his father-in-law. His two-year-old was asleep in the room next to him.

The suicide came on the two-year anniversary of his father's arrest over the gargantuan Ponzi scheme.

Mark Madoff and his children were recently named parties in a host of lawsuits relating to his father's fraud. A trustee appointed by the court to recoup investors' money had accused Mark and his brother Andrew of turning a blind eye to their father's scam.

Mark Madoff's lawyer has denied any wrongdoing on behalf of the brothers.