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Bernie Madoff, One Year Later: A Special Anniversary A to Z

By Rich Blake

A
Andrew, one of Bernard Madoff’s two sons, the former director of trading at the now-defunct Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, and who has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Reportedly looking at starting a firm involved in, fittingly, disaster recovery.

B
Butner Federal Correctional Complex, where Madoff is currently doing a 150-year stint.

C
Cap d’Antibes, idyllic seaside town on the French Riviera where Madoff owned a $1.6 million villa.

D
DiPascali, Frank, Madoff’s chief financial officer and right hand man, one of just two people other than Madoff to be criminally charged. Has pleaded guilty and is apparently cooperating with authorities to get a lesser sentence.

de la Villehuchet, René-Thierry Magon, 65-year-old French financier who had invested more than $1 billion with Madoff and who killed himself a few weeks after the fraud was exposed.

Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, with which the SEC astonishingly never thought to cross reference Madoff’s trading records while investigating scheme allegations.

Donahue, Mark, SEC lawyer who supervised an investigation into Madoff that turned up irregularities and who reported to Eric Swanson (see below).

E
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author, professor, Nobel laureate, and political activist, whose foundation was picked clean of assets.

Everyone else in the Jewish philanthropic community, also victimized.

F
Fairfield Greenwich Group, manager of the Fairfield Sentry Fund, Madoff’s largest feeder.

Five, number of separate SEC investigations that missed the Madoff fraud.

Friehling, David, one of three employees of strip mall-based accounting firm Friehling & Horowitz, and one of just two people other than Madoff to be criminally charged. Said to be negotiating a plea deal.

G
Genevievette Walker-Lightfoot, SEC Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations lawyer who wanted to go further with a review of Madoff in 2004 after finding some irregularities but who supposedly was told to conclude it so she could get to work on a mushrooming mutual fund industry scandal.

H
Harry Markopolos, analyst at rival money manager, long time Madoff skeptic and determined whistleblower who delivered to the SEC a roadmap to Madoff’s scheme.

I
Ira Sorkin, Madoff’s defense attorney.

J
J. Ezra Merkel, managing partner of Ascot Partners, a large Madoff feeder fund.

K
Kotz, H. David, SEC Inspector General in charge of detailing how the commission bungled the case

L
Lipstick Building, popular nickname of the 885 Third Avenue high rise building that housed Madoff’s firm.

M
Mark, one of Madoff’s two sons, and the one who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Montauk, N.Y., easternmost tip of Long Island community where Madoff owned a $9 million beachfront home, 216 Old Montauk Highway.

N
Nasdaq, the stock exchange of which Madoff was once chairman.

O
Orthopedic Specialty Group, Fairfield, Conn.-based medical practice that employs more than 100 people and which decided in 1992 to invest its entire portfolio of retirement assets with Madoff.

P
Palm Beach Country Club, exclusive Jewish golf club where Madoff hunted his prey.

Peter, Madoff’s brother, and head of compliance, and who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Picard, Irving, trustee in charge of recovering Madoff’s assets.

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), with which auditors of broker-dealers are supposed to be registered, and with which Madoff “auditor” Friehling & Horowitz was not.

Q
Quilted jacket worn by a pushy Madoff whilst being filmed near his apartment; referenced in past season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm Seinfeld reunion story arc.

R
Ruth, Bernie’s wife of a half century, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

S
Shana, daughter of Madoff’s brother Peter, and who worked at BLMIS as a compliance officer, and who dated and later married SEC compliance lawyer Eric Swanson, and who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Split Strike Conversion, purported equity options strategy used to produce his supposedly steady, consistent returns.

Swanson, Eric (“see Shana”)

T
Tremont Group, OppenheimerFunds-owned fund of hedge funds that fed more than $3 billion to Madoff.

U
Union Bancaire Privée, Geneva, Switzerland-based private bank that invested $1 billion in Madoff through Fairfield Greenwich.

V
Victims of the monstrous swindle, at least 14,000

“Verify, Trust but,” popular saying in variety of investigative fields, less used within SEC inspection units staffed by lawyers a little too cozy with Madoff.

W
Walter Noel, status chasing founder of Fairfield Greenwich Group, Madoff feeder.

X
(X-17A-5, Form), three-part, SEC-mandated audit questionnaire that broker-dealers such as BLMIS are required fill out annually, and which Madoff personally signed each year attesting that the information provided and supporting materials were valid and truthful.

Y
Yeshiva University, chiseled out of $110 million.

Z
Zarb, Frank, Nasdaq chairman (1997-2001), Hofstra alum and personal friend of Madoff, Nasdaq chairman (1990-91, 1993) and Hofstra alum.

12 Responses to “Bernie Madoff, One Year Later: A Special Anniversary A to Z”

  1. MIchael Martin Says:

    Classic Rich Blake. Genius. The community needs to see and hear more from you Rich.

  2. Cecelia Panstreppon Says:

    P - Picower, Jeffry. Sophisticated investor who took $7 billion more out of his Madoff accounts than he put in. Allegedly instructed Madoff employees to backdate trades through his assistant of thirty years, April Freilich.

  3. Trevor Giles Says:

    S - Suspension of Disbelief. The tendency for people’s greed to supplant their common sense.

  4. ANON Says:

    There was so little thought given to this its embarrassing!!!! Do you even know what your talking about?

    B- Bankruptcy court
    C- Cohmad, Claw-back, Charities
    H- Hadassa
    I - IRS (the largest beneficiary of the Madoff disaster)
    J- Jaffe, Robert
    M - NY METS (lost $250 million)
    N - Net-Equity, Net-winner Net-looser
    S- Carl Shapiro , SIPC, SEC

    if you need some help understanding this try reading about the topic you are going to discuss.

  5. ANON Says:

    Please find a new Job, you suck at this!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Rich Blake Says:

    All and any reader feedback is genuinely welcome, even if it is anonymous and/or extremely negative. To ANON, I aim to keep at this and I hope you keep reading and commenting. Rich Blake

  7. ANON Says:

    Sorry I was so harsh. As a Madoff victim, one who’s life is forever changed by this dissaster, I’m a bit sensitive about this. Thanks for your effort and your response.

  8. ETF FOOL Says:

    [...] Madoff A-Z [Hedge [...]

  9. Neil Says:

    ANON / Rich, get a room!

  10. jim coppersmith Says:

    P. Pain,powerful, plentiful, punishing,pervasive and perennial for all of the innocent PEOPLE…who were Plucked from a Peaceful life by the Pusillanimous Pervert called Madoff

  11. Anna Says:

    Great, great format for a story of which most brave Americans have zero clue of what went down. IMO you need to keep up these highly accessible arctiles, and write the definitive book.

    Course, ask me and I’ll tell ya:

    E is for Enron which flung open the conceptual doors to this spiffy new unbridled looting in the first place, and how to get away with it via what I termed to the Feds “Special Piracy Vehicles”. Want a diagram to show you the underlying connections? Course, F is for the Feds who have very selective hearing.

    J is for JP Morgan who got their necks umm name? saved when C Chase came in to coverup the Credit Deriv/AIG/Enron disssasster. Let me tell you that Madoff had NOTHING on what those fair haired boys dreamed up.

    Soooo funny the SEC chick said she was told to lay of Madoff due to the MF crisis, as the underlying connections are identical.

    P is for the People who just don’t understand this H= “high plastic” finance.

  12. Peter Madoff, Bernie’s brother is under fire « White Collar Crime News Says:

    [...] http://www.hedgeworld.com/blog/wp-trackback.php?p=321 [...]

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