Sins of the Father

Mark Madoff, 46, one of Bernard Madoff’s sons was found dead today in his Manhattan apartment of an apparent suicide, on this the second anniversary of the senior Madoff’s arrest for swindling billions of dollars from a long list of investors including some of his closest friends. In Brian Ross’ book “The Madoff Chronicles” Bernie is portrayed as a man who showed more contempt than concern for everyone except himself.  Weeks following the public disclosure of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, two of his victims committed suicide.  Another participant in the ruse died in October 2009, reportedly drowned in his own swimming pool.  Today’s issue of the Business Insider reported “This new punishment will likely be harder on Bernie Madoff than his 150 year jail sentence.  It will also be far harder on Madoff’s wife and Mark’s mother, Ruth, who has otherwise been ostracized, humiliated and stripped of most of her wealth . . . and it will be harder on the rest of the Madoff family, including Mark’s children, who are Madoff’s grandchildren.”  In light of this most recent Madoff related tragedy one is reminded of Exodus 34: 7 “ . . . and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.