Bernard Madoff was sentenced Monday to the maximum 150 years in prison for his multibillion-dollar fraud scheme, which a federal judge called 'staggering.' 'The message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were evil,' said U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in handing down what in essence was a life term for the 71-year-old investor. Chin, noting that the Ponzi scheme ran for more than 20 years, wasn't convinced that Madoff was sorry or was cooperative with authorities in the continuing investigation into others who helped him bilk funds. 'I simply do not get the sense that Mr. Madoff has done all that he could or told all that he knows,' the judge said. Defense attorneys had sought 12 years, while prosecutors wanted the maximum. The federal probation department had recommended 50 years. Madoff, a former Nasdaq chairman, pleaded guilty to securities fraud and other charges in March and has been jailed since. Before the sentence was handed down, Madoff addressed the courtroom and apologized to his family and to his victims, saying he 'will live with this pain, this torment, for the rest of my life.' His wife, Ruth, did not appear at the sentencing but issued a statement afterward saying that she was 'embarrassed and ashamed' by her husband's actions and that it ruined the lives of so many people, including 'close friends and family.' One of them, Patricia Silver, who emerged from the courtroom looking weary, said she and her family were friends of Madoff for 40 years. 'The betrayal and the damage this caused us is irreparable,' she said. She said she was glad that Madoff turned and looked at the victims when he spoke and apologized, and she called the sentence 'fair.' Madoff, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a tie, sat and listened as emotional witnesses described how he spoiled their security, and they urged Chin to send him to prison for life. Victims who lost millions of dollars described their ruined lives to the judge. (Begin optional trim) Miriam Siegman of New York, a victim allowed to make a statement in court, said she could not bear to stay throughout Madoff's lawyers' statements. She walked out when Madoff's attorneys spoke. 'It was my way of showing disdain,' she said. 'Why should I sit and listen to his lawyers defend him? We should all have gotten up and walked out.' Siegman said she lost her savings to Madoff and was living on food stamps and $800 a month from Social Security. (End optional trim) 'He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in-between. He had no values,' Tom Fitzmaurice said. 'He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife, Ruth, could live a life of luxury beyond belief.' Dominic Ambrosino called it an 'indescribably heinous crime' and urged a long prison sentence so victims 'will know he is imprisoned in much the same way he imprisoned us and others.' He added: 'In a sense, I would like somebody in the court today to tell me how long is my sentence.' When the judge announced the term in court, Silver said, 'there was not a loud cry of joy, but there was a sense of relief.' Outside the courthouse, the mood was angrier and louder. One woman yelled: '150 years for the devil!' 'We seek neither mercy nor sympathy,' said Madoff's attorney, Ira Sorkin, in court papers. But the lawyer urged Chin, as he determined the sentence, to 'set aside the emotion and hysteria attendant to this case.' Madoff pleaded guilty in March to 11 securities-related fraud counts that prosecutors say caused at least $13 billion in investor losses uncovered so far. Until his arrest in December, Madoff told investors their assets were worth almost $65 billion, but much of that was bogus profit. Madoff's wife, Ruth, has agreed to forfeit $80 million in assets, including the couple's $7.5-million New York apartment, in a settlement with prosecutors. She will retain $2.5 million. Monday's outcome may not end the Madoff melodrama. Madoff's lawyers probably will continue filing motions in coming months and years seeking to shorten his sentence by arguing, for example, about prison conditions, his health or any assistance given to prosecutors. 'His case is hardly over when the sentence is handed down,' said Brian Gallini, a professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law. 'There's going to be a constant effort to bring him back home.' 