Outside the Courthouse for the Madoff Plea Hearing

I hadn't planned on staying for nearly three hours outside the Federal Courthouse in lower Manhattan this morning, but I got drawn into the reporter pack covering Bernard Madoff's plea hearing. Just a handful of his victims were on hand to witness live the guilty pleas of the man who made off with their life savings, so a small army of mainly broadcast journalists took turns interviewing them. I found one crew that seemed efficient in relaying the events from inside the courtroom, so I was able to hear right away the "sorry" statements Madoff made to the judge. Most of the working press patiently awaited the most important news - whether the judge would grant bail or remand Madoff into custody. When the word "jail" starting buzzing around the crowd, there was a lot of excitement, but for most everyone, it was time to pack up. Madoff would not be coming out the door to greet the cameras.

Images by Walking Off the Big Apple, March 12, 2009.