The-Wizard-of-Lies

Twenty-two years at the New York Times, currently senior financial writer, winner of a Polk Award, Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2008 financial crisis and author of a great new book The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the death of trust, it was an honor to welcome Diana Henriques to Pundit Review Radio.

So much has been said and written about Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. Incredibly, there is much about the story that people do not know, and in many cases, what people do know is flat out wrong. Ms. Henriques was the first journalist to interview Madoff in prison, and he sent her dozens of follow-up emails and letters. Few people know his story better. Everything is in this book, from the childhood and the lessons learned, to his early business days to the Ponzi scheme itself. Of course, the story is filled with gut wrenching human drama, the damage Madoff inflicted upon everyone around him, starting with his family. After reading the book, I am convinced that Madoff’s wife and sons did not know about his Ponzi scheme. It was fascinating to hear her describe meeting Madoff in prison a couple of months after his oldest son Mark had committed suicide. He seemed like a shattered man and it was hard to think anything other than “good”! That is just one of many moments of clarity that the book provides. It also goes to great detail to explain how he was able to get away with it for so long, and how many opportunities regulators had to stop him. The failure of government at all levels is another central character in this story. Not only did they miss numerous chances to identify the fraud, they asked all the wrong questions after the fact. Shocker. This is a great book.

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