NEW YORK (REUTERS) - The man convicted of the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, who swindled thousands of investors out of billions of dollars, says he is dying and has asked for an early release from prison.

A lawyer for Bernard Madoff, 81, said in a court filing on Wednesday (Feb 5) that he is dying of kidney failure and has fewer than 18 months to live. In 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison.

Madoff is perhaps the most prominent federal prisoner to seek "compassionate release" under the First Step Act, a bipartisan law signed by United States President Donald Trump in 2018 that lets some older prisoners end their sentences early, often for health reasons.

He had previously asked Mr Trump to commute his sentence, but the President has yet to act.

A spokesman for US Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan, whose office prosecuted Madoff, said that office will respond to the filing.

Madoff's request will be considered by Circuit Judge Denny Chin, who called his crimes "extraordinarily evil" when he imposed the 150-year sentence in June 2009, three months after Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 criminal counts.

Prosecutors said Madoff used his firm Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities to swindle thousands of individuals, charities, pension funds and hedge funds in a US$64.8 billion (S$89.5 billion) fraud.

Many victims came from the Jewish community, where Madoff had been a major philanthropist.

Madoff has been living at the federal prison complex in Butner, North Carolina, and was moved recently to a medical facility there.

His lawyer, Mr Brandon Sample, said in an interview that other prisoners referred Madoff to him, and that he had visited Madoff at Butner last summer.

"Bernard Madoff is a broken man, and had a lot of personal loss," he said.

"That's not to diminish the impact of his crimes on his victims, but there are larger ideals at work when we consider whether to show compassion on someone in their final days."

Madoff has lost both his sons since being imprisoned. His older son, Mark Madoff, hanged himself with a dog leash in 2010 on the anniversary of his father's arrest, while Andrew Madoff died of cancer four years later.

Mr Sample said Madoff would likely live with a friend if granted compassionate release, and spend his remaining time "with the few people left in this world who care about him".

Another long-time prisoner, former WorldCom chief executive Bernard Ebbers, in December obtained early release because of health reasons from his 25-year sentence for orchestrating an accounting scandal at his phone company.

Ebbers died on Sunday at age 78.