Madoff Ponzi Scam: Five Ex-Aides Convicted of Securities Fraud, Victims to Recover $349 Million

In a new round of payments by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC trustee Irving Picard, victims of the $17 billion Madoff Ponzi Scam are slated to receive around $349 million. The US Bankruptcy Court in New York must still approve the distribution, which would bring total payouts to $6 billion-34% of the principal lost.

A hearing for the distributions is scheduled in April. Payouts by Picard include up to $500,000 in advances each to victims that were made by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. Picard said that he hope to give victims full reimbursements.

One way he is doing this is by pursuing claims of approximately $3.5 billion from HSBC Holdings PlC (HSBA), UBS AG (UBS) and UniCredit SpA (UCG), which allegedly benefited from the multibillion-dollar Ponzi scam. In January, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) arrived at $325 million accord with Picard over allegations that the bank was negligent in not identifying the fraud and made money money from Madoff’s scam. Picard was able to recover $10 billion-59% of the principals lost by thousands of Madoff customers. The financial firm also consented to pay another $218 million to settle two related class actions filed with the help of Picard.

Madoff is currently serving a 150-year prison term over his Ponzi scam after he pleaded guilty to securities fraud. At least seven other people, including his brother Peter Madoff, also pleaded guilty to their involvement.

On Monday, a jury convicted 5 ex-Madoff employees of 31 counts of aiding his Ponzi scam. The defendants had argued that their ex-employer was the only one who knew what was really going on and that they had trusted in his honesty.

The government accused portfolio managers Annette Bongiorno and JoAnn Crupi and former operations director Daniel Bonventre of conspiring and lying to customers, falsifying records, and cheating on taxes while they worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities. Allegations against computer programmers George Perez and Jerome O’Hara included claims that they helped keep the Ponzi scam afloat by designing computer programs that would generate bogus records and trades.

Please contact our securities fraud lawyers if you suspect you were the victim of a Ponzi scam and sustained financial losses.

Jury Says 5 Madoff Employees Knowingly Aided Swindle of Clients’ Billions, NY Times, March 24, 2014

Madoff Victims Set to Get $349 Million From Trustee, Boosting Total to $6 Billion, Bloomberg, March 25, 2014

More Blog Posts:
Madoff Ponzi Scam Victims Win Right to Appeal for Interest, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, January 24, 2014 Madoff Victims May Have Numerous Sources of Recovery Says Secrurites Fraud Attorney, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, December 15, 2008
US Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on the Impact of SLUSA on the Stanford Ponzi Scams, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, October 17, 2013