The bonfire of the vanity: revisiting Bernie Madoff
He ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in history — and died earlier this month just 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence. Harry Shukman revisits the wizard of lies.
- Words by: Harry Shukman
He ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in history — and died earlier this month just 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence. Harry Shukman revisits the wizard of lies.
He ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in history — and died earlier this month just 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence. Harry Shukman revisits the wizard of lies.
It was the day after Bernie Madoff was arrested, and the phones at his Midtown Manhattan office were ringing non-stop. That morning, on December 12th 2008, it seemed like everyone who had ever put money into Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities was now calling in desperation to liquidate their accounts. It was carnage up on the 19th floor, where sobbing investors bombarded the phones, begging for help, and sending in so many faxes that office staff had to replace the machines’ ink cartridges mid-call. It got so bad that Eleanor Squillari, Madoff’s secretary, organised a rota with her assistants to do twenty minutes on the phones so that in between shifts she would have time to dash to the bathroom and vomit from stress.
It was the day after Bernie Madoff was arrested, and the phones at his Midtown Manhattan office were ringing non-stop. That morning, on December 12th 2008, it seemed like everyone who had ever put money into Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities was now calling in desperation to liquidate their accounts. It was carnage up on the 19th floor, where sobbing investors bombarded the phones, begging for help, and sending in so many faxes that office staff had to replace the machines’ ink cartridges mid-call. It got so bad that Eleanor Squillari, Madoff’s secretary, organised a rota with her assistants to do twenty minutes on the phones so that in between shifts she would have time to dash to the bathroom and vomit from stress.
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Discover the perks of being a member
| Clubhouse Membership | |
|---|---|
| Two Magazines per yearDelivered to your door | |
| Full Access to Paywall contentAccess to all member-only online features | |
| Membership Cardto redeem all the perks. | |
| Members Invites to Exclusive Eventsto private Clubhouse events | |
| Weekly newsletter Straight to your inbox | |
1 year £39.99 Equivalent to £3.33/month |
