Moving from Mrs. Sanford to Mrs. Madoff

Moving to a financial headline, Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff on Monday was sentenced to 150 years in prison for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Addressing Judge Denny Chin, the defendant said, "I cannot offer you an excuse for my behavior," and turning to face his victims in the courtroom, Madoff added, "I'm sorry; I know that doesn't help you." Perhaps mindful that the defendant has yet to tell investigators the whereabouts of $13.2 billion, the judge was not inclined to leniency, insisting, "The message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil."

Many who were swindled believe Madoff's wife Ruth was in on the scheme. Though forced to turn over $80 million in her name, Ruth Madoff was not charged. Her husband insists that "She cries herself to sleep every night," and he now wonders, "How do you excuse lying to a wife who stood by you for 50 years?"

For her part, Mrs. Madoff, who will have to sell her $7.5 million East Side co-op, released a statement that her perceived "indifference" to the plight of victims "is exactly the opposite of the truth." While she looks for a new home, (The New York Post reports "no one willing to take her on as a tenant"), Mrs. Madoff says, "I am embarrassed and ashamed" and is facing the fact that "my life with the man I have known for over 50 years" is over.