The New York Post is reporting that 71-year-old disgraced Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff is making friends in prison, participating in sweat lodge ceremonies with Native Americans and hanging out with a group of gay inmates.

According to the Post, Madoff has also confided in his new friends that he is dying of cancer.

"He's been taking about 20 pills a day for his cancer," one inmate tells the Post. "He talks about it all the time. He's not doing very well."

CBS News reports that Madoff gravitated toward the sweat lodge ceremonies in an effort to detoxify his body and has been spending a fair amount of time forging bonds with a community of gay inmates.

"In prison, you stick to your own kind, but he's doing the exact opposite by hanging with the Indians and [gays] -- so who is going to have his back?" said one inmate to the Post.

Sentenced to 150 years, Madoff would not be eligible for release with a "good behavior" reduction until November 2139.