Netflix just dropped a new docu-series called Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street! The latest series revolves around Bernie Madoff, the fraudster and financier who was the mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Ruth Madoff is the wife of Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Ruth’s husband Bernie passed away at the age of 82 in the year 2021.
For those of you who are unaware, let us tell you, Bernie Madoff was the convicted American financial fraudster who served a prison sentence for a criminal financial scheme until his death in April 2021.
The infamous financier Bernie Madoff was married to Ruth Madoff, who was never charged in the case. The couple had two kids together. Continue reading further to dive deep into the personal and professional life of Ruth Madoff.
When did Ruth’s husband Bernie Madoff die?
Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, passed away at the age of 82 in the year 2021. At that time, the news of Bernie’s death was announced by the Bureau of Prisons.
In a statement issued, Bernie Madoff’s attorney said, “Bernie, up until his death, lived with guilt and remorse for his crimes.” It further read, “Although the crimes Bernie was convicted of have come to define who he was – he was also a father and a husband. He was soft spoken and an intellectual. Bernie was by no means perfect. But no man is.”
In the year 2020, Bernie Madoff’s lawyers filed court papers to try to get him out of jail. At that time, his attorneys stated that he had suffered from end-stage renal disease and other chronic medical conditions. Although, the request was refused.
After the death of disgraced financier Bernie Madoff, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “The day someone passes is not a time to dance on a grave but let’s just be honest, many many people were hurt by his actions and it’s time to hopefully turn the page and move forward.”
Here’s all you need to know about Ruth Madoff (including her early life, educational qualifications, and more)
Ruth Madoff is the wife of the fraudster Bernie Madoff. She was born on May 18, 1941, in Queens, New York. At the moment, she is 81 years old. Her father Saul Alpern was an accountant who died in 1999, at the age of 95, on the other hand, when we talk about her mom Sara Alpern, she passed away in 1996 at the age of 92.
Back in the day, Ruth was brought up in a practicing Jewish family. She has one sister whose name is Joan Roman. She graduated from Far Rockaway High School and soon after, she received a degree in Psychology from Queens College. Shortly afterward, she graduated from New York University with a Master of Science degree in nutrition in 1992.
When did Bernie Madoff and Ruth Madoff get married?
Bernie Madoff and Ruth Madoff tied the knot in the year 1959. The pair exchanged their vows on November 28, 1959. At that time, she was only 18 years old, while he was 21 years old. The two of them crossed paths for the first time while attending Far Rockaway High School. Bernie was three years older than Ruth.
How many children do Bernie Madoff and Ruth Madoff have?
Bernie and Ruth welcomed two kids together: both boys. The pair welcomed their first child together, son Mark Madoff in the year 1964. Their second son, Andrew Madoff joined them earthside in the year 1966.
As per various media outlets, the couple’s son Mark who was a graduate of the University of Michigan, committed suicide in the year 2010, two years to the day of his father’s arrest. It has been reported that he committed apparent suicide by hanging himself in the living room of his $6 million apartment in SoHo.
At the time of his death, Mark was 46 years old. He used to work at his father’s firm at a trading desk, which was not directly associated with the Ponzi scheme. He had a wife and a son.
On the other hand, when we talk about the pair’s second son Andrew, just like his elder brother Mark, he also used to work at the trading desk of Bernie’s firm. He died in the year 2014 due to cancer. He passed away at the age of 48 at a New York City hospital.
At first, Andrew was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (mantle cell lymphoma) in 2003 but went into remission. The disease made a comeback in October 2012 and he blamed the relapse on the stress of living with his dad, Bernie’s scam. He had two children with two different women.
What did Ruth Madoff have to say about her husband Bernie Madoff?
As per a report by NBC, Ruth had to give up all of her $70 million in remaining assets after her husband Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail. During a 2011 interview with Today, she talked about her husband Bernie, and stated that she didn’t miss him.
At that point, Ruth said, “The villain of all this is behind bars.” In a 2011 CBS interview, Ruth disclosed that upon hearing the confession of her husband, the couple tried to commit suicide.
Ruth told the media outlet, “I don’t know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was so horrendous what was happening.” For decades, she didn’t have a single clue about her husband’s Ponzi Scheme. She was never charged in association with her husband Bernie Madoff’s notoriously infamous scheme.
However, Ruth kept her distance from her husband Bernie after his Ponzi scheme saw the light of day but she never divorced him. After Bernie got his sentence, she had to surrender $70 million to the authorities in remaining assets.
After her husband’s arrest, Ruth moved out of New York City and lived in Florida for 2 years with her sister before transitioning to one of her son Andrew’s homes in Greenwich, Connecticut.
According to a report by New York Post, in 2017, she began living in Old Greenwich in a one-bedroom condo. Since then, she has stayed away from the spotlight. As of this moment, not much is known about her health or life.
Andrew Madoff never thought his dad Bernie could be running a Ponzi scheme
While making a 2011 appearance with his mom Ruth on NBC’s Today show, Andrew stated he never suspected his financier father of running a Ponzi scheme because he grew up hearing what a legend he was.
Andrew said that people had an incredible vision of Bernard Madoff as a “spectacularly skillful trader.” He served as the chairman of the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s board of directors until his father’s scheme was revealed.
Soon after his brother’s suicide, Andrew talked about his elder brother Mark’s death with People magazine, and said, “One way to think of this is the scandal and everything that happened killed my brother very quickly. And it’s killing me slowly.” Andrew died in 2014 after a battle with cancer.
What is the series ‘Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street’ all about?
The docu-series Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street which consists of a total of four parts shows the epic rise and fall of Bernie Madoff, the infamous American financier and also the Ponzi schemer.
The official synopsis of the series given by Netflix reads, “With an innovative visual approach, Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street is a four part edge-of your seat financial thriller which reveals the truth behind Bernie Madoff’s infamous multibillion-dollar global Ponzi scheme and the ways in which a willfully blind financial system allowed it to flourish for decades.”
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger has donned the director’s hat for the series. Jeff Hutchens has acted as the cinematographer of the four-part crime-thriller miniseries, meanwhile, Serj Tankian has worked on the music for it.
Joe Berlinger, Jim Campbell, Jon Doran, Samantha Grogin, Jen Isaacson, Jon Kamen, and Eve Rodrick have all served as executive producers of the limited documentary series.
Who stars in the Netflix series ‘Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street’?
Critically acclaimed actor Joseph Scotto plays the lead role of the disgraced financier Bernie Madoff in Netflix’s Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street.
Along with Joseph Scotto, the series also stars Cris Colicchio as Peter Madoff, Donna Pastorello as Eleanor Squillari, Stephanie Beauchamp as Jodi Crupi, Kevin Delano as Andrew Madoff, Alex Olson as Mark Madoff, Isa Camyar as Frank DiPascali, Alicia Erlinger as Annette Bongiorno, Sarah Kuklis as Ellen Hales, and many more.
The crime-drama series Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street is exclusively streaming on Netflix right now. So what are you waiting for? Go and watch it. The crime docu-series dropped on the streaming giant platform on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
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