Bernie Madoff Says TV Show Riddled With Errors — Denies Hadassah Affair
Image by ABC
Bernard Madoff accused the ABC television network of mischaracterizing his life and his criminal Ponzi scheme in a mini-series aired earlier this month.
In a letter to network rival NBC, Madoff wrote: “I’m sure it is fruitless to enumerate the numerous fiction and absurd mischaracterization (sic) in the ABC movie. However I have never been one to turn the other cheek. I will just cover those incidents that have drawn queries.”
Madoff, 77, pleaded guilty in 2009 to defrauding investors of tens of billions of dollars in a wildly successful Ponzi scheme, considered the largest financial crime in U.S. history. Many of his victims were Jewish and Israel-related philanthropies, as well as individual American Jews. He is currently serving a 150-year sentence in federal prison in North Carolina.
In his letter, Madoff, who reportedly saw the mini-series titled “Madoff,” which stars Richard Dreyfuss, asserted first that “I have NEVER slapped my son Mark.”
He also clarified that his wife, Ruth, was never “an officer” in his firm, and objected to the characterization of his brother, Peter, as a “pathetic soul.” He also denied having an affair with the chief financial officer of a Jewish charity harmed by the scheme and called her a “stalker.”
He pointed out that his father was the president of his Queens temple and that his parents were highly regarded in the community.
He expressed contrition about his crime in the letter. “Yes I made a disasterous (sic) business mistake that caused unforgiveable (sic) pain to my family, friends and clients, and will continue to do everything in my power to recover their lost investment principal,” he wrote.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
