In February 2020, Madoff had petitioned the courts for an early release from prison, stating that he had terminal kidney failure and a life expectancy was less than 18 months. But the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, probably the most corrupt in the nation, opposed as always saying that Madoff's crime was "unprecedented in scope and magnitude" and is "sufficient reason" to deny Madoff's request.

Madoff, the government claimed, was the mastermind behind a $20 billion Ponzi scheme — the largest financial fraud in history. Judge Denny Chin, who originally had imposed the sentence of 150 years, denied his request as expected from a New York judge calling his crime "one of the most egregious financial crimes of our time," and one that continued to take "a staggering human toll."