The man accused of taking around $50 billion will continue - at least for a little while - to enjoy a lifestyle that’s arguably much better than the ones most people have achieved.  Yes, Bernard Madoff defeated demands that he go to jail and will instead remain under house arrest.

Plenty of folks are calling for Madoff’s head, and will be amazed that he’s avoided the lesser inconvenience of spending some nights in a cell.  And should Madoff manage to escape to Switzerland or something, Judge Ronald Ellis will no doubt have to endure some even more severe criticisms.

Still, Ellis seems to have gone with the “innocent until proven guilty” approach this time, and since Madoff made bail and doesn’t seem to represent a threat to anyone, ruled that the man could stay in his Manhattan apartment.

Here’s an interesting tidbit that makes Madoff seem less like some sort of insanely greedy devil, too: Ed Pilkington reports, “[T]he New York Times yesterday revealed that he has been apologising to his neighbours in the East 64th Street block of apartments for the chaos caused by the media camped outside since his arrest.”