Madoff, the Thief

The 71-year old Bernie Madoff is now serving a 150 years sentence in Butner Prison, North Carolina, USA for admitting to 11 charges of fraud, amounting to more than US$65b. He should be accorded the Title: "The Biggest Thief of the 21st Century."

His Ponzi Scheme, which he started 16 years ago, has attracted thousands of clients, ranging from the rich and famous; foundations; investment fund managers, retirees and ordinary people. Many of those who had invested in his Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities, have got nothing left after the collapse of this evil scheme, bared all by the 2008 economic recession in the USA.
Madoff was finally arrested on the 11th December 2008. He was imprisoned in June 2009.

One wonders what is Madoff thinking about all these victims including his fellow Jew, holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who had lost everything from his Foundation and personal wealth. What about the two gentlemen, a French investor and a retired British Army Major, both 65 who committed suicide as a direct result of their losses in their investment with Madoff? No sign of remorse at all?

Madoff, prisoner # 61727-054 is scheduled to be released on the 14th November 2139. May God prolong his life until that date so that he would have sufficient time to start feeling sorry for what he had done to other people's lives.

What made Madoff tick? Did he manage to pull all these through by himself or are there hidden hands involved?

From the marketing angle, Madoff had done a brilliant job in creating a perception and a myth of exclusivity to attract his preys. He had so successfully capitalised on the greatest weakness of men - GREED!