Run, Bernie, run!
Mar. 12th, 2009 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tagrynWell, its probably too late for Bernie Madoff to run now, but where could a man with means and a need to get out of the country (which see: Mark Rich, before the Clinton pardon) safely go?
Presumably you'd want a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S., nor diplomatic ties; no point getting there, only to get shipped back in short order. I note that Rich managed to live in both Switzerland and Spain (currently) without getting extradited, but why take chances? That limits the list to:
Of those, I'd probably select Cuba first. Nice climate, money will go a long way there, and easy access to the U.S. if a quick visit is needed (presumably on a moonless night). There's also some precedent. Possibly Venezuela next, depending on whether you think Chavez will stay bought once you've made it into the country. Would have to take a pass on Iran, N. Korea, and Somalia - you'd probably have a better time in prison than any of those. Taiwan has some interesting capitalist possibilities for a person with capital to spend, but I suspect they wouldn't feel particularly sad about shipping a guy like Madoff back if the U.S. asked for him. Maldives, Vanuatu, maybe the Bahamas: all nice if you want to live the island life, but you're really off the grid in the first two and the Bahamas does have an extradition treaty with the U.S. and uses it.
As to why Madoff didn't decide to flee? Well, he's 70 years old; that's not a great age to start a life on the lamb, especially for a guy used to the good life. He probably got tired to trying to keep all the lies together, and fleeing would just create a different set of worries. Given all the people he stole from, he'd always have to worry about one of them sending someone after him, either to collect or to teach him a lesson (revenge).
The way to go is probably to vanish for a year or so to a place like Bhutan, then have major plastic surgery to radically alter one's appearance and subsequently live a very, very quiet life under a new identity. Or is that too 007?
Presumably you'd want a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S., nor diplomatic ties; no point getting there, only to get shipped back in short order. I note that Rich managed to live in both Switzerland and Spain (currently) without getting extradited, but why take chances? That limits the list to:
Countries which have neither diplomatic relations nor extradition treaties with the US are: Andorra, Angola, Bantu Homelands, Bhutan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Ciskei, Cuba, Iran, Korea (North), Libya, Maldives, Serbia, Somalia, Taiwan, Transkei, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.I'd also add Chavez's Venezuela to the list - any enemy of the U.S. is a friend to him, especially a rich friend - and possibly Thailand, which has a reputation for being able to buy anything there, if the payee can afford it.
Of those, I'd probably select Cuba first. Nice climate, money will go a long way there, and easy access to the U.S. if a quick visit is needed (presumably on a moonless night). There's also some precedent. Possibly Venezuela next, depending on whether you think Chavez will stay bought once you've made it into the country. Would have to take a pass on Iran, N. Korea, and Somalia - you'd probably have a better time in prison than any of those. Taiwan has some interesting capitalist possibilities for a person with capital to spend, but I suspect they wouldn't feel particularly sad about shipping a guy like Madoff back if the U.S. asked for him. Maldives, Vanuatu, maybe the Bahamas: all nice if you want to live the island life, but you're really off the grid in the first two and the Bahamas does have an extradition treaty with the U.S. and uses it.
As to why Madoff didn't decide to flee? Well, he's 70 years old; that's not a great age to start a life on the lamb, especially for a guy used to the good life. He probably got tired to trying to keep all the lies together, and fleeing would just create a different set of worries. Given all the people he stole from, he'd always have to worry about one of them sending someone after him, either to collect or to teach him a lesson (revenge).
The way to go is probably to vanish for a year or so to a place like Bhutan, then have major plastic surgery to radically alter one's appearance and subsequently live a very, very quiet life under a new identity. Or is that too 007?
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Date: 2009-03-14 02:27 pm (UTC)