Madoff was once one of Wall Street’s most respected leaders but his company was also the front for a Ponzi scheme where new investors’ funds were used to pay existing clients. When the financial crisis hit in 2008 and too many investors asked for their cash, Madoff was forced to reveal his company was “one big lie”.
Madoff told the author he was “a product of the corrupt culture of Wall Street” and was himself a “constant critic” of that culture, which he confessed “certainly sounds strange coming from me”.
The collapse of Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities (BLMIS) ruined the lives of thousands and triggered several suicides, including that of the couple’s son Mark.