Bernie Madoff, infamous Ponzi schemer, dead at 82 14 Apr, 2021 06:15 PM 8 minutes to read Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in jail. Video / AP Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in jail. Video / AP Other By: Michael Balsalmo and Tom Hays Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of an epic securities swindle that burned thousands of investors, outfoxed regulators and earned him a 150-year prison term, died behind bars early Wednesday. He was 82. Madoff's death at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, was confirmed by his lawyer and the Bureau of Prisons.