Last Madoff victim fund payout brings recovery to nearly 94% of Ponzi scheme losses, DOJ says

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Financier Bernard Madoff leaves Manhattan Federal tribunal March 10, 2009 successful New York City. Madoff attended a proceeding regarding the conflicting presumption of his ineligible practice successful his multi-billion dollar fraud allegations.

Chris Hondros | Getty Images

The 10th and last organisation from a money for victims of the precocious Ponzi strategy king Bernie Madoff began Monday, the Department of Justice said.

The past disbursement, of much than $131 million, is being sent to much than 23,000 victims worldwide. When it is completed, much than $4.3 cardinal volition person been distributed by the money to much than 40,000 victims successful astir 130 countries, the DOJ said.

That tally is astir 94% of the estimated full losses from the scam, the section said.

The last disbursement by the Madoff Victim Fund was announced astir 16 years aft Madoff's fraud came to light.

"Today's organisation represents an unprecedented decision of unfortunate compensation from civilian forfeiture actions related to the Madoff scheme," said FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director successful Charge James Dennehy.

"These victims implicitly trusted Madoff with their investments lone to yet suffer important monies to his selfish plan," Dennehy said.

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Madoff, who was caput of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities successful New York, pleaded blameworthy successful March 2009 to 11 felonies related to what national prosecutors person said was the largest Ponzi strategy successful the world.

Madoff was sentenced to 150 years successful situation for the fraud, which spanned 4 decades and progressive him paying disconnected customers with wealth raised from different customers, not with concern trading gains arsenic helium claimed.

He died successful April 2021, astatine property 82, astatine a national situation installation successful North Carolina, astir a twelvemonth aft helium was denied a petition for compassionate merchandise owed to a terminal kidney disease.

When Madoff's fraud archetypal became publically known, prosecutors estimated the full nonaccomplishment astatine $65 billion. But that estimate sharply dropped erstwhile authorities subtracted the magnitude of phantom concern gains and involvement that Madoff's customers were duped into believing existed.

The largest information of the money for Madoff's victims, astir $2.2 billion, came from a civilian forfeiture betterment from the property of Jeffry Picower, a now-dead Madoff investor, the DOJ said.

Another $1.7 cardinal came from JPMorgan Chase arsenic portion of a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ successful January 2014. JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor institutions had served arsenic the superior slope done which Madoff operated his scheme, the DOJ has antecedently said.

The remainder of the victims' money came from a "civil forfeiture enactment against capitalist Carl Shapiro and his household and from civilian and transgression forfeiture actions against Bernard L. Madoff, Peter B. Madoff, and their co-conspirators," the DOJ noted Monday.

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