Bernie Madoff recently called New York reporter Steve Fishman collect, from prison. Berns had rebuffed Fishman’s previous attempts to chat but apparently had been feeling like there were a few things he wanted to get off his chest and in print, for all the haters to see. Lately, you see, the Ponzi Master is feeling a bit misunderstood. Angry. Cheated. He takes the blame for what he did (though he thinks the banks that enabled him should take a little themselves) and admits that Ruth is pretty ticked off with him of late. That’s not what’s getting his goat though. What he’s feeling miffed about these days is the fact that okay, yes, he ran a multi-billion dollar scam that had some pretty serious consequences. Fine. But what about all those years he was doing things by the book? People rightfully thought he was pretty great then but do we ever hear about that? No! All we hear is monster this and criminal that. What gives?

“Does anybody want to hear that I had a successful business and did all these wonderful things for the industry?” Bernie continued. “And got all these awards? And so did my family? I did all of this during the legitimate years. No. You don’t read any of that.”

I mean honestly. It’s incredible; funny, really, if you think about it, how running a $67 billion Ponzi scheme and ruining thousands of lives (millions if you count all Mets fans) will really make people forget about what a great guy you were. And it’s not just Bernie, tons of people have gotten a raw deal from the media- no one talks about how Mussolini made the trains run or time, or how Hitler built those wonderful autobahns, or how Ted Bundy made women feel special, even though they did. It’s like, what the hell? At one time, places like Institutional Investor thought Berns was a pretty big deal and a lot of people in the industry, if you asked them, would’ve described him as, I don’t want to say a hero, but okay, fine, a hero. Then he confesses to doing some less quote legitimate unquote stuff and, poof, none of that should matter anymore?

An Interview With Bernie Madoff [NYM]

Comments (50)

  1. Posted by BackOfficeSales | February 28, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    You shouldn’t have created a billion dollar Ponzi scheme Bernie. My mother created a billion dollar Ponzi scheme once. Once

  2. Posted by Texashedge | February 28, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    Also, John Wilkes Booth was one hell of an actor

  3. Posted by General Disarray | February 28, 2011 at 5:08 PM

    Madoff didn’t ruin the lives of millions of Mets fans. There’s only 17 of them.

  4. Posted by BackOfficeSales | February 28, 2011 at 5:11 PM

    As was O.J. How Nordberg didn’t garner him an Oscar, I have no idea

  5. Posted by Mgb94 | February 28, 2011 at 5:11 PM
  6. Posted by Mgb94 | February 28, 2011 at 5:11 PM
  7. Posted by Mgb94 | February 28, 2011 at 5:11 PM
  8. Posted by dipshit mets fan | February 28, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    madoff is the best thing to happen to the mets since buckner. wilpons are horrrrible

  9. Posted by dipshit mets fan | February 28, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    madoff is the best thing to happen to the mets since buckner. wilpons are horrrrible

  10. Posted by Vatican Assassin | February 28, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    Referring to a period in your career as “the legitimate years” is the NKI.

  11. Posted by Vatican Assassin | February 28, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    Referring to a period in your career as “the legitimate years” is the NKI.

  12. Posted by Supraman | February 28, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    Narcissistic self-delusion is comedy gold. Someone should make a sitcom with Bernie, Charlie Sheen and Qaddafi (as wacky neighbor). Instant ratings monster.

  13. Posted by Supraman | February 28, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    Narcissistic self-delusion is comedy gold. Someone should make a sitcom with Bernie, Charlie Sheen and Qaddafi (as wacky neighbor). Instant ratings monster.

  14. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    I hope his new cell mate is the horse fister

  15. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    I hope his new cell mate is the horse fister

  16. Posted by Charles Gasparini | February 28, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    James Franco is a friend of mine.

  17. Posted by Aldous | February 28, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Obviously, he’s not saying he’s an African white space Christ.

  18. Posted by Aldous | February 28, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Obviously, he’s not saying he’s an African white space Christ.

  19. Posted by Dr. Rosenrose | February 28, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    You know, some of my paintings were pretty fucking good.
    -Adolf

  20. Posted by LTea | February 28, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    you’re only as good as your last trade??? unless you’re in prison???

  21. Posted by Charlie Sheen | February 28, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    The light that shines through yonder window is me on full “go” only one gear and one speed with a pivot gear like an Abrams tank with the Hollywood liars in my thermal sights. Mark em with smoke, Ha! My eyes burn penetrating truths onto the skidmarks of their tongues and they should embrace me with their surrender flags as I march in the shade of their dumbassery.

  22. Posted by Shallow Pockets | February 28, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    No comment.

    -Tom K.
    Margin Call, OK

  23. Posted by Guest | February 28, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    He’s the best thing that happened to society in genreal.

  24. Posted by Billie Sol Estes | February 28, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    I think we’ve all been a little too tough on the Made-ster.

    -Billie Sol Estes
    Ammonia, TX

  25. Posted by Gozer | February 28, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    I think a guest appearance or two by Baghdad Bob would complete this masterpiece

  26. Posted by Gozer | February 28, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    I think a guest appearance or two by Baghdad Bob would complete this masterpiece

  27. Posted by Guest | February 28, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    What about the charities that invested with him? I think that takes away any good early on. What a dirtbag. Further acknowledging his bull* is bad enough. Throw a muzzle on this guy and get him out of the press!

  28. Posted by Guest | February 28, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    What about the charities that invested with him? I think that takes away any good early on. What a dirtbag. Further acknowledging his bull* is bad enough. Throw a muzzle on this guy and get him out of the press!

  29. Posted by AmericanBandersnatch | February 28, 2011 at 5:51 PM

    I don’t that’s fair. I’d give him an F in his “illegitimate years” and an A- for his earlier work. Average them out and I think he’s about a C- kinda person. But he feels bad about what he did, maybe a C.

  30. Posted by Mark Madoff | February 28, 2011 at 5:51 PM

    Oh, so now is a good time to start to defend the family name.

  31. Posted by Z Kouwanus | February 28, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    I wish he was inside me.

  32. Posted by ds22 | February 28, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    More bs to shield his family. He never made a legit trade. His first lie was that his start-up capital was $2000 from his summer job. in 1959? $2000? I don’t want to know what he did for that.

  33. Posted by derp | February 28, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    Sorry Berns… it only works if you’re in the Film Industry.

    - Roman

  34. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 6:32 PM

    With Paris and Lindsay as his daughters.

  35. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    I thought Bernie and Jeff Skilling were each other’s prison bitch, I guess I was wrong

  36. Posted by Sheryl W. | February 28, 2011 at 6:51 PM

    He might be and you just don’t know it.

  37. Posted by Bulge Prop Bulge | February 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    Great. I just sharted and I am wearing a light gray suit.

  38. Posted by Guest | February 28, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    Same thing he’s doing now for a ciggies!

  39. Posted by tseuG | February 28, 2011 at 7:56 PM

    Lenny Dykstra as Uncle Jesse.

  40. Posted by Lord Humongous | February 28, 2011 at 8:19 PM

    I just sharted, but i’m wearing a diaper and a hockey mask

  41. Posted by Oranje, CFA | February 28, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    R. Allen Stanford as the quirky cricket pro at the club.

  42. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Barack Obama as President of the United States.

  43. Posted by Anonymous | February 28, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Barack Obama as President of the United States.

  44. Posted by IamJeffreyDahmer | February 28, 2011 at 9:53 PM

    other than the 17 incidents of dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism, Jeffrey Dahmer was a pretty OK dude, too.

    so I hear

  45. Posted by Bob Morris | February 28, 2011 at 11:06 PM

    No one should believe a word Madoff says except that whatever he says is calculated to help Bernie.

    Was he mobbed up from the start? Was he laundering money? if so, whose?

    As from him, Ruth, and the kidz being all cranky at each other, that’s just part of the con. You really think she and the sons didn’t know?

    My take: He’s going to great lengths to protect someone. Who and why?

  46. Posted by Finn Alexander | March 1, 2011 at 2:11 AM

    And John McCain as Mr. Roper.

  47. Posted by Finn Alexander | March 1, 2011 at 2:27 AM

    “Governor Walker? Hi it’s me. Bernie. Yea collect. I’m ok. I am not a sociopath ya know. But I think the teachers need to share the blame…huh?… WTF are YOU talking about…what budget battle?”

    -Curious Bernie Makes Another Judgment Call

  48. Posted by Blow Me | March 1, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    There were no legit years. He was a legacy. Pops got done for the same shit.

    Now, nobody expected the movie stars to know this. We expect them to be dumbasses (ref: Scientology et al). But really, don’t South American drug cartels do their homework? They always asked me where my kids went to school during my muling (or shall I call legit) years.

  49. Posted by Fanoffraudsters | March 1, 2011 at 7:37 AM

    Please audit Warren Buffett’s book value….

    -Mr Madoff, to you.

  50. Posted by Chuck | April 10, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    Whoever Jeffry M. Picower was the middleman for.

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