New York (CNN Business) Bernie Madoff, the infamous mastermind behind the largest Ponzi scheme in history, is asking President Donald Trump to commute his 150-year prison sentence.

Madoff filed a clemency petition that is currently "pending," according to the Justice Department's website . It is unclear when the petition was first made, and officials declined to comment. The news was reported earlier by CNBC

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether Trump will grant Madoff's request.

Madoff, now 81, was arrested in December 2008 on allegations that the prestigious asset management firm he ran in Manhattan was in fact a pyramid-type scheme that swindled billions of dollars from thousands of people.

He pleaded guilty to 11 felony charges related to money laundering, perjury, and falsifying financial documents and was sentenced to serve a 150-year prison term that he began in July 2009.

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