We've tried in vain to get Ike Sorkin to own up: did he ever bother to inform Bernie about the Vilar case? [See our last posting]
Tired of Ike's "No Comment" whenever we seek to shed some light on the Madoff saga, we are turning to Ruth, hence the following letter, which we left with the doorman at her Manhattan apartment building this afternoon.
Dear Ms. Madoff,
We are the co-authors of Catastrophe: The Story of Bernard L. Madoff The Man Who Swindled The World, the first book to be published about your husband's case.
Our purpose in writing to you at this time is to seek clarification as to why your husband decided to plead guilty to eleven counts of fraud rather than opting to stand trial and thus likely being able to remain under house arrest for months, if not years, as the prosecution prepares its case.
Prior to your husband's decision to plead guilty on March 12, did Ira Sorkin inform either of you that Alberto Vilar, whose case has been characterized by the U.S. Attorney as being "strikingly similar" to your husband's, by opting to go to trial was able to remain under house arrest for more than three years?
If so, did Mr. Sorkin then counsel your husband to hold off on a guilty plea?
We had actually posed the question to Mr. Sorkin last Thursday morning, following his failed attempt before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals to return your husband to house arrest pending his sentencing on June 16.
Mr. Sorkin responded "No comment." Further, Mr. Sorkin has not responded to our email query of March 23 regarding these questions.
If indeed Mr. Sorkin did not mention the Vilar case to either of you, do you plan to ask him why he failed to do so?
Sincerely yours,
Deborah Hart Strober Gerald Strober