The Madoff Affair (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 4.2K

  • @robertafierro5592
    @robertafierro5592 ปีที่แล้ว +122

    These investors KNEW their returns were too high, and STILL, didn't question it.

    • @abubakariabdulai9505
      @abubakariabdulai9505 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Remember human greedy is like the red ants ( when a red ant finds honey in container it consumes the honey too much and finally falls into the container and ends up downed)
      .

    • @Twofiddymill
      @Twofiddymill หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yep …it’s a two way affair..yes Madoff did wrong however there is always a catch somewhere in this game…gullibility and being credulous being key!

    • @marlongaines9319
      @marlongaines9319 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Not when he’s the chairman of Nasdaq.

    • @marlongaines9319
      @marlongaines9319 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@abubakariabdulai9505people weren’t greedy. These were regular people just trying to pay for retirement. Even charities “invested” with Madoff. That’s not greed, that’s capitalism. And ants eat honey because of the nutrients. Not because they like the taste.

    • @GD20254
      @GD20254 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

      His Sons knew I think

  • @maryfields1382
    @maryfields1382 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2120

    Madoff investors when they thought the money was rolling in: "The government needs to keep it's nose out of our business."
    Madoff investors when they found out they'd been scammed" "The government should have known this was going on and stopped it."

    • @magnificentmuttley154
      @magnificentmuttley154 3 ปีที่แล้ว +82

      _The _*_love of money_*_ is the root of all sorts of injurious things. And by reaching out for this love some have been led astray & stabbed themselves all over with many pains_ ~Saint Paul

    • @jeffreylorenger6746
      @jeffreylorenger6746 3 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      100%

    • @jeffreylorenger6746
      @jeffreylorenger6746 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      100% agree

    • @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
      @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +117

      I'm not a brain surgeon. But you'd think the obvious red flag of a scam is the consistent 20% gains. That NEVER, EVER happens. Sorry.

    • @nomatman8352
      @nomatman8352 3 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      hilarious, and so damn true !

  • @thenakedmonkey
    @thenakedmonkey ปีที่แล้ว +166

    16,000 square foot home to a 3 bed penthouse. Those poor victims. I hope they make it through the trauma.

    • @aemi_sa
      @aemi_sa ปีที่แล้ว +13

      😂

    • @vamoneygroup
      @vamoneygroup 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      Dudes were making %20 for decades

    • @waterwomaninFL
      @waterwomaninFL 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yeah, but they got screwed me in because they ended up having to pay back the interest that they made on the money they invested and the taxes on the interest. Although I still can’t understand how anybody could think they could make a steady amount of percentage, monthly or yearly. It just reeks of a scam.

    • @gekolizzard
      @gekolizzard 12 วันที่ผ่านมา

      😂

  • @troybirch
    @troybirch ปีที่แล้ว +97

    I will never understand how people always blame the government whenever there’s a problem but
    Can’t comprehend that when you eliminate regulations you have absolute chaos.

    • @figaro-dg5c5
      @figaro-dg5c5 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Criminals get caught, they shift blame to the government or to anybody except themselves.

    • @lolacole5653
      @lolacole5653 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      And no self accountability.

    • @dahliacheung6020
      @dahliacheung6020 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ⁠indeed. Like, you're dealing with trades and investments. There's no such thing as zero risk and 18 percent returns are just not happening. And in the slight chance you managed to get in early enough that you do see those returns, it's because several someones who invested more recently are never seeing a dime of that money again.
      Yet we see time and time again with FTX, with all these crypto shitcoins- people seem almost *more* willing to literally throw their entire networth away when someone promises them something impossible.

    • @t4t359
      @t4t359 8 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I will never understand why people have allowed The Fed, a private, non-governmental agency, to have zero regulation.

  • @josephb456
    @josephb456 2 ปีที่แล้ว +534

    "Why didn't you find him?!" He screams into the lifeless eyes of the very people who benefited from not finding him.

    • @jv-ep2tc
      @jv-ep2tc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      he knew the answer when he asked the question

    • @GeauxRight777
      @GeauxRight777 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Madoff was really a terrible human being

    • @clintoruss153
      @clintoruss153 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@GeauxRight777 hope he rots in hell he destroyed many lives including his own sons

    • @robertfolkner9253
      @robertfolkner9253 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      No mention of Congress slashing the SEC’s budget so they hadn’t enough agents and supplies to get people on the streets. Of course, that required honesty, something Congress-types aren’t familiar with.

    • @davidwhite7767
      @davidwhite7767 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      that politician probably voted for deregulation

  • @James_Bowie
    @James_Bowie 2 ปีที่แล้ว +615

    Bienes' body language is priceless. He couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it.

    • @brentfarvors192
      @brentfarvors192 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      They were ALL lying! They knew something wasn't right! SEC was taking BRIBES to keep quiet. Sad thing is, there are probably 50 other people, now doing the same thing! "Fractional reserve stocking..." Now, they just make up shares that don't even exist...According to the SEC, it's only "fraud"...If the market collapses!

    • @Justice-ef9sk
      @Justice-ef9sk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      @@brentfarvors192 And as to Bienes's outlook....its only a crime if ya get caught. Lol.
      Michael Bienes can blame Madoff all he wants, but he was just as guilty, if not more so.
      He procured investors for Madoff, to be sure to collect HIS "Thirty pieces of silver" finder's fee.

    • @ByWayOfDeception
      @ByWayOfDeception 2 ปีที่แล้ว +86

      eyes constantly shifting up when asked a direct question. Priceless.

    • @rabidbigdog
      @rabidbigdog ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Spot on comment. All these people skimming saying "we didn't know".

    • @LowCountryMTB
      @LowCountryMTB ปีที่แล้ว +18

      I’m on the fence about Bienes.

  • @danielprates2208
    @danielprates2208 ปีที่แล้ว +219

    This michael bienes looks like a seinfeld character. "How does an airplane fly? I dont ask!"

    • @personalchefservicesofsues4362
      @personalchefservicesofsues4362 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      He does! Lol..

    • @CMO5569
      @CMO5569 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Serenity Now!!!!!!!!!

    • @thetreekeeper143
      @thetreekeeper143 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      It's because he's Jewish. They have that funny accent.

    • @letsgomets07
      @letsgomets07 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lmaoooo

    • @calisongbird
      @calisongbird ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@thetreekeeper143 it’s a New York accent, it has nothing to do with being Jewish.

  • @smartanajones4u
    @smartanajones4u ปีที่แล้ว +162

    Although this catastrophe is over a decade, I can never get enough of this

    • @meddem1744
      @meddem1744 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Same.

    • @stevejacobs2764
      @stevejacobs2764 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Well it’s good to be aware, because it will happen again, and it already has happened on smaller scale with Sam Bankman Fried and FTX.

    • @molliwilson5639
      @molliwilson5639 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Me too.

    • @marklefkowitz4385
      @marklefkowitz4385 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Guess you weren't victims. Because they gave gotten the full brunt of it.

    • @erik3371
      @erik3371 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It's good content. Check out "wirecard" also good.

  • @anonykip
    @anonykip 2 ปีที่แล้ว +304

    This Bienes fella should've been a Hollywood actor. I'm sure he would've made a good fortune playing Italian mob boss.

    • @chrisestey7277
      @chrisestey7277 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      They were all greedy
      Investors, everybody .They got what they deserved

    • @projectmatt11
      @projectmatt11 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      He's a jewish guy from NY.....they all sound like that.

    • @grahamsawyer831
      @grahamsawyer831 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      absolutely. whenever people start swearing on their mother's life they are invariably lying.

    • @hutseh
      @hutseh 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      As God as my witness and on my mother's grave? Mom would be so proud that she raised such a loyal son; able to use his mother's name so piously.

    • @moisemensah8233
      @moisemensah8233 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Scorcese should give him a call

  • @nickv4073
    @nickv4073 3 ปีที่แล้ว +325

    Most of these people were bragging about investing with Madoff. "Our money is with Madoff but you can't get in with him. Its by Invitation only". I don't feel any sympathy for these investors.

    • @lakersouthpaw
      @lakersouthpaw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Yeah and they are all acting like they didn't see the signs. But they can't answer the question why. The real answer is they saw easy money and were so greedy, they didn't care.

    • @MegaMontiq
      @MegaMontiq 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      What about the ordinary people? No sympathy for those who had to move into new homes cause of him. Sell their Cars cause of him. Change their complete life cause of him. Thats the point yes he stole from the rich but they were not the ones that had to go through the pain. It was the ordinadry people.

    • @TheSmartLawyer
      @TheSmartLawyer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I don't blame someone for trying to secure a better future. I do blame Madoff for his fraud and those who facilitated it

    • @sandratrusty7757
      @sandratrusty7757 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Lol neither do I

    • @sarajaved5552
      @sarajaved5552 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      well said

  • @1jesus2music3duke
    @1jesus2music3duke ปีที่แล้ว +77

    This is my favorite comedy special. From everything about Bienes to “3200 seems to be… more than 15,” Frontline is killin it!

  • @Stormcoaster101
    @Stormcoaster101 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    15-18%??? And sophisticated investors fell for that??? Shocking how greed can cloud your sensibility even when you know better.

    • @vamoneygroup
      @vamoneygroup 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      If you could get %20 you would %100 do it.

    • @user-dn5hz3nl9x
      @user-dn5hz3nl9x 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Happens all the time but not advertised to plebeians like you. You’re not in the know buddy. 😂🎉

    • @Stormcoaster101
      @Stormcoaster101 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@user-dn5hz3nl9x you gotta be severely acoustic bro 🤣🤣🤣

    • @user-dn5hz3nl9x
      @user-dn5hz3nl9x 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Stormcoaster101That reply still doesn’t make you any more “in the know”. Quiet…you hear me? Shhh…boy. In the words of Keller P. Williams, “be humble, sit down.” Boy. I’ll say it again, boi?!? Flick that wrist t-girl.

  • @angecynthia347
    @angecynthia347 2 ปีที่แล้ว +841

    " my wife and I came up with an answer!! God wanted us to have money, God wanted us to be rich!!" hahaha complete con artist😂😂😂

    • @AccentYouLovingheart
      @AccentYouLovingheart 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Never satisfied.😂😂😂😂

    • @loretta_3843
      @loretta_3843 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Oh dear God, you can't make this stuff up!🤦🏻‍♀️

    • @pabloescoto7229
      @pabloescoto7229 2 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      I dont know why but just listening to him say that and when asked about whether he knew or asked Madoff how he was making that kind of money and saying "nevaaah" he just sounds like a crook.

    • @colenexoxo8939
      @colenexoxo8939 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I Can't believe that he said that. When he has to answer to God he will truly think he can con God....Wow😱

    • @supremeteam1831
      @supremeteam1831 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@pabloescoto7229 yep. His "ohhh I don't know. Do I know how to split an atom" BS... like this guy is literally showering you with an INSANE ROI YET YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HE DOES IT, "HE JUST DOES IT" YEA, OK👌🤣

  • @Matthew-wp5fp
    @Matthew-wp5fp 2 ปีที่แล้ว +344

    “We were never pigs” says the greedy accountant acting ignorant. Corrupt to the core.

    • @emmabovary1228
      @emmabovary1228 2 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      My favorite, God meant for us to have this money.

    • @jonking5318
      @jonking5318 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      That was priceless. It told me everything I needed to know. Greedy crooks.

    • @youtubeobserverz
      @youtubeobserverz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      (7 min 28 sec) "Easy peasy."

    • @Oltl21
      @Oltl21 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      “I never work hard” is a dead giveaway

    • @NormaJean951
      @NormaJean951 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@emmabovary1228 my favorite was a cpa pretending he wouldn’t know enough to understand the trades.

  • @jordanalbano9780
    @jordanalbano9780 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    At 2:47 when he shoves the cameraman & the cameraman shoves him back even harder is the most New York thing ever

  • @Ristofec
    @Ristofec ปีที่แล้ว +55

    I’ve worked in the financial industry for years and I’m currently employed with a Fortune 500 company. I make less than 6 figures a year (just a regular service representative), but I’m telling you, just from my experience, the entire financial industry is riddled with oversight and fraud.

    • @charlesbosse9669
      @charlesbosse9669 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Especially government officials.

    • @Anna_Stetik
      @Anna_Stetik หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      The SEC was, and still is, a joke.

  • @DarthChungus-xl9jj
    @DarthChungus-xl9jj 2 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    Pbs really is the gold standard for deep dives, a great watch

  • @erichodge567
    @erichodge567 2 ปีที่แล้ว +133

    There's an old saying: The big thieves hang the little thieves.
    The takeaway: The big thieves never hang each other. The documentary could not have made this point any more clear.

  • @BASE5NYC
    @BASE5NYC 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    Hard to feel bad for people so blinded by greed & ignorance. They didn't ask any questions because they didn't care, they just wanted returns.

    • @louniece1650
      @louniece1650 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I'm not sure, but aren't many of these people still pretty much still wealthy anyway?

    • @empty-ed
      @empty-ed 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You could make 10% yourself VERY VERY EASILY

  • @robbywilson6729
    @robbywilson6729 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    I have worked in corporate finance for just about my entire career, and it is baffling to me that this fraudulent enterprise survived as long as it did. Especially as high profile as the firm was, you would think the SEC would have been all over them when even cursory examination from an untrained eye would have quickly pointed to the mathematical impossibility of returns. The fundamental problem of Wall Street is that the banks, hedge funds, brokerages, IB's etc. are always infinitely more talented and resourceful than the fed employees and agencies who are tasked with stopping potential impropriety. Any given day there are hundreds of such con games in play, and only a minor fraction are ever caught.

    • @Matt-cr4vv
      @Matt-cr4vv 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      It is always an issue because top talent regulators almost always get swayed over to the private sector outside of the few passionate who remain. But I always think the absurdity of it not being caught more than anything was the bank account at Chase that held the money. How in the world does Chase never say anything about this account that has $1B+ sitting in it? Amazing that nobody bothered to wonder why such an absurd balance of deposits is sitting in this account.

    • @AnkhGirl
      @AnkhGirl 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      So then what is the REAL point of the SEC??

    • @freddiewadling2090
      @freddiewadling2090 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What's more, the fraud was pointed out to the SEC. Several times. Several investigations were made. They found - nothing.

    • @jlb122587
      @jlb122587 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      @@Matt-cr4vv I have to believe that its always the same reason: not my job to throw stones especially when I am making money off it. Chase was definitely earning interest on that money.

    • @sonsofthewestredwhiteblue5317
      @sonsofthewestredwhiteblue5317 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You build a better mouse trap, nature builds a better mouse.
      The con seem to hinge entirely on the dopamine hit that investors acquired in not only apparently making tidy returns on their money, but the egoic kick they’d receive from being esteemed and astute enough to be along for the ride.

  • @arsenal10141014
    @arsenal10141014 2 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    Everyone was happy to go along with it. Greed. Pure and simple.

    • @lindsayaddie8554
      @lindsayaddie8554 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That's the way some of these fat cats\upper crusts think. As long as they getting richer and richer.......

    • @22jaydogg
      @22jaydogg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Exactly

    • @TheCubert120
      @TheCubert120 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Greed is the American Dream. Wholesome and honest, but always driven for the desire to be affluent and well to do. The very nature of investing is greed. "I want my hard earned money to no longer be hard earned. I want my money to make money, and I don't have to do a thing." The American motto, get paid for doing nothing.

  • @Survivor-mf1nm
    @Survivor-mf1nm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +533

    These people KNEW the investments were sketchy, due to all the secrecy. But they didn't give a shit, when cash was rolling in.

    • @lonelylantern9135
      @lonelylantern9135 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Well said!

    • @allenkemp3124
      @allenkemp3124 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Exactly

    • @videosuperhighway7655
      @videosuperhighway7655 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      They thought all the secrecy was because they thought they were making money by cheating the system via front running trades on the exchanges. So thats why they went along.

    • @astroemerald3175
      @astroemerald3175 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The MAJORITY yes others were largely clueless .
      Others saw themselves part of an elite rarefied privileged few .
      arrogance pure denial and narcissism were there folly .
      In the end it is Ruth who walked away with 2 . 5 million did she know the truth . I think she did . I know she lost both her children but in interviews when she mentions her children she shows zero emotion .
      The only passion you see is her passionate denials of her role in the crime .
      He robbed Holocaust survivors of there life savings .

    • @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
      @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Wouldn't a theoretical 20% CONSTANT claim or "gains" be the dead ringer flag, tho...?

  • @EchoJ
    @EchoJ 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Greed is a lot like "Love"; intoxicating and addictive to the point that it blinds people to otherwise obvious truths.

    • @leas7830
      @leas7830 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Well said.

  • @blackhat1018
    @blackhat1018 ปีที่แล้ว +315

    Listening to Sandra Manske is just hilarious. Every time she’s confronted about something she just deflects and says, “Well…that’s just how it was…we didn’t question it…”
    She was in on it. Had to have been. How can you recognize all these things, claim to have been “bothered” by some of them, and still go through with it without being a part of it.

    • @annec6200
      @annec6200 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Yes. When that woman answered questions with: «Yes, but…»…she’s basically telling us, the viewers, SHE KNEW BUT DIDN’T CARE BECAUSE THE $$$ WAS ROLLING IN. GREED. PERIOD.

    • @patriciaoreilly8907
      @patriciaoreilly8907 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Because that's how things were , you don't ask questions. Dangerous game when dealing with big money. It's the name of the game .

    • @stuartmenziesfarrant
      @stuartmenziesfarrant ปีที่แล้ว +5

      100%

    • @td2555
      @td2555 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Exactly

    • @evalex71
      @evalex71 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Exactly. Not sure why her lawyer thought it was a good idea for her to do this documentary

  • @dumiphama8811
    @dumiphama8811 2 ปีที่แล้ว +250

    From 1:40 to 1:50 listening to how his friend is describing news of Bernie's arrest and what he thought the reasons were "sex crimes". Shows you who these people are and what they do behind closed doors.

    • @jasonbourneistreadstone
      @jasonbourneistreadstone 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thinking about this now, the movie "Wall Street" with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen was made waaaaay before this was ever exposed. Maybe Madoff used it as a blueprint. Wall Street is incredibly shady and corrupt. The SEC are inept clowns.

    • @natalieholmes5313
      @natalieholmes5313 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Glad I wasn't the only one to catch that.

    • @devonw.1577
      @devonw.1577 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      I noticed that too. Thinking of "sex crimes" in a "nanosecond" doesn't exactly make them look good. I bet there's so much dirt that hasn't even been uncovered.

    • @neversayjello
      @neversayjello ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Lol I thought that was odd.

    • @lisev415
      @lisev415 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@neversayjello right😂 that was soooo telling

  • @dawnedwards2320
    @dawnedwards2320 2 ปีที่แล้ว +269

    I find it hard to believe a licensed CPA saying he wouldn’t understand an explanation of the way it works. He is a liar of the extreme. All part of the con!!!!

    • @teddmented
      @teddmented 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Agree

    • @hiphopjewels
      @hiphopjewels 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      He wants to avoid lawsuits, so he'd better stick to that story, and hope someone believes it. lol

    • @IAX1126
      @IAX1126 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He’s a major con just like Trump. Such a slimy, whiny and crying baby.

    • @ForceField9
      @ForceField9 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@IAX1126 Trump wasn't a con. And if you think hes a con, I cant wait to hear what you say about biden

    • @klintsheganaku913
      @klintsheganaku913 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@ForceField9 Have you been living on Mars in the past decades? Trump was, has ever been and still is a con! 🐑

  • @davelowe1977
    @davelowe1977 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    I ended up laughing the whole way through. All those predatory greedy people preying on each other and they all got screwed. Oh, and it was the government's fault lmao

    • @luzgomez2843
      @luzgomez2843 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Yeah but the low class had to pay for it

  • @raquelvlogzz1183
    @raquelvlogzz1183 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Nothing better than a humble man full of integrity..Period!

  • @percivul1786
    @percivul1786 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    "I blame the government. I really truly do." Says the guy who took no action to investigate the guy showing financial magic tricks. Says the guy who KNEW something wasn't up to snuff but loved those initial checks. Now that the well is dry, it's the governments fault.

  • @professorvoluck9311
    @professorvoluck9311 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1516

    Madoff’s programmers were the real geniuses. They designed software that automatically allocated fictitious trades to individual accounts and created a phantom computer trading platform in case an investor, regulator, or auditor requested to see how the operation worked. They knew it was a fraud from the beginning and should be in prison.

    • @blaquentgruppe6547
      @blaquentgruppe6547 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Professor
      Madoff program the computers
      Can anyone in here duplicate what Madoff pull off? MAN EH GENIUS mister GREEK IN RUSSIA HE BE MAGNITSKY 'GIT

    • @blaquentgruppe6547
      @blaquentgruppe6547 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Still don't wanna give Madoff credit
      What about intestinal fortitude x🖤👁

    • @michaelcallas9463
      @michaelcallas9463 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Imagine that genius be used, I don’t know, to promote transparency in financial services and insurance? We’ve got a ways to go as humans. And @Professor, you’re right - lots of integrations to manage, especially in those days.

    • @stevrgrs
      @stevrgrs 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Yeah I can barely balance my trades database let alone pull something like that off :P

    • @KyleN456
      @KyleN456 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The end

  • @mrmoneybagz
    @mrmoneybagz ปีที่แล้ว +17

    What an amazing documentary. These were 58 well-spent minutes of my Sunday.

  • @benno291980
    @benno291980 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    6:12 'how does an airplane fly? I don't ask.'
    7:45 'we were like an airplane, you know how an airplane works'
    What a frikn sheister

  • @michaelbryant2071
    @michaelbryant2071 3 ปีที่แล้ว +411

    I swear this Bienes character looks and talks like a Mafia hit man who just walked out of Central Casting.

    • @magnificentmuttley154
      @magnificentmuttley154 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      @somedeveloperblokey Bienes: "I swear on my mother's GRAVE I was convinced the money was legit"
      Interviwer: "But it was easy money, right?"
      - "Yes. When friends found out how much I made, they said 'You must be working hard for it, right?' But I told 'em it was the easiest money I ever made"
      - "See? Right there. If the money was TOO easy you knew something was wrong"
      *Famous last words:* _I never knew... I swear on my mother's grave._ Well geez, Mr Bienes, if it smells like a skunk, it's a SKUNK

    • @twincherry4958
      @twincherry4958 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@magnificentmuttley154 If I don't ask, I don't know...I can keeping taking the money wvwn if I suspect anything.

    • @cmcgloughlin
      @cmcgloughlin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      that, or, he fell off the Stupid Truck

    • @tillymalone5322
      @tillymalone5322 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Agree completely 👌 👍 💯

    • @magnificentmuttley154
      @magnificentmuttley154 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@cmcgloughlin Right! That's the spirit! He hit every branch of the tree on the way down... multiple concussions with brain damage 😋😋🤕
      *EDIT:* Well the YT 'bots are at it again. Benign & harmless as it is, my comment was removed. This is my attempt to put it back... Good grief! Can't anyone have an OPINION or tell a harmless joke anymore?!?! Evidently not!

  • @theycallmetundraboy914
    @theycallmetundraboy914 2 ปีที่แล้ว +433

    Frontline is honestly such a blessing to this world. Real talk.

    • @theresachung703
      @theresachung703 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      💯

    • @andersonwang1746
      @andersonwang1746 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      They make very good shits, honestly.

    • @thecarpetman7687
      @thecarpetman7687 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      If it was up to republicans…it would be shut down

    • @sonnyjohnson8887
      @sonnyjohnson8887 ปีที่แล้ว

      A drop of white ink in a sea black ink is not really a blessing 😺, but it does not hurt

    • @Russellsplant
      @Russellsplant ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They literally never have a bad episode.

  • @DonLoganfan
    @DonLoganfan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Nobody (specifically the feeder investors) knew what was going on, nobody wanted to know what was going on……they were all suspicious but they never really asked questions or pushed the issue…why? Because they were all greedy and as long as the money kept coming in they weren’t going to rock the boat. And Madoff knew this.

  • @E1N9A8N0DA
    @E1N9A8N0DA ปีที่แล้ว +56

    The people who gave their money to Madoff are the ones who praised him and sent all their friends to his office. And the second the scam came to light, those same people pointed their fingers directly to him, and they were the first ones to call him out.
    They perfectly knew it was fishy and signed in anyway, yet they played the innocent card when they lost everything. By blindly entrusting millions to Madoff without any precaution or questioning whatsoever, they reaped what they sowed and thus they're almost as responsible as Madoff.

  • @commanderkeen3787
    @commanderkeen3787 3 ปีที่แล้ว +776

    You don't get this big without the government, other Wall Street firms and the SEC being complicit in the crime. Money talks. And let's not pretend this stuff still doesn't go on to this day on Wall Street

    • @cliftt
      @cliftt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Facts.

    • @motivateyourself6819
      @motivateyourself6819 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Super Facts

    • @ToyHigh
      @ToyHigh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      FACTS 🎤 💯

    • @adrianaalcala9693
      @adrianaalcala9693 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Bernie knew he could get bigger by dumping money into people who “asked questions” Bernie closed mouths with money....

    • @tbthomas5117
      @tbthomas5117 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      As V. Lenin was alleged to have said:
      "When the time comes to hang them, the capitalists will sell us the rope."
      I could never quite figure out why our leaders thought it was a good-idea to partner-up with the most bloodthirsty genocidal regime in recorded history. I remember reading a news item in 2010 saying that General Electric had decided to build jet-engine factories in China. I thought: "Jet Engines? the kind we use in long-range bombers? Why would the government approve that?"
      Now we know.

  • @SecondTake123
    @SecondTake123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +257

    Any successful scam and pyramid scheme always has a legitimate component as well. Madoff not wanting to register with the SEC or get licensed should have been a red flag!

    • @alexcarter8807
      @alexcarter8807 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There's an excellent docu on the original Ponzi on here somewhere. Even after he was busted he had people singing his praises.

    • @jtiger1062
      @jtiger1062 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Why do people have all their money with one person...they are greedy and I have very little sympathy ..

    • @SecondTake123
      @SecondTake123 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@jtiger1062 He screwed over elderly couples too who just wanted to invest their savings.

    • @jtiger1062
      @jtiger1062 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Other investors accepted lower returns because they knew it was too good to be true …you can’t protect people from being greedy so don’t expect to be bailed out by the government tax payers money..

    • @yesterdayitrained
      @yesterdayitrained 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@jtiger1062 : No one in this documentary asked the government to bail them out.
      Yes, they tried to blame the government, but no one asked the government to give them back their money.

  • @mark8544
    @mark8544 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    I love it how NONE of them acknowlaged their greed had something to do with their losses.....

  • @jett2753
    @jett2753 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    These investors must take responsibility. It’s YOUR job to ask questions and be skeptical of everyone.

  • @kingsolomon0
    @kingsolomon0 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    The fact that Mr Madoff was not registered by SEC and did not accept or entertain questions from clients was a huge red flag .

  • @jstone247
    @jstone247 3 ปีที่แล้ว +135

    His passing was barely noticed. What a piece of work.

    • @thankthelord4536
      @thankthelord4536 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Nobody cared about this thief. Big deal.

    • @CrossmanTV1
      @CrossmanTV1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      It was just another day for most people.

    • @frankdenardo8684
      @frankdenardo8684 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He kicked the bucket

    • @yannick245
      @yannick245 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I really didn't know he passed! How come?

    • @kennymartin3416
      @kennymartin3416 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The people who thaught they would get 20% return on their investment are just as guilty. Zero sympathy..

  • @A1sinceday1-88
    @A1sinceday1-88 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    This story and Enron have always interested me so much. That level of stealing is SO SCARY to me. Yikes 😳!!!! How do they manage that kinda secret.

  • @pjdava
    @pjdava หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    FRONTLINE PBS | Official, Wow, this made my day brighter! Thank you!

  • @adammcgirt7123
    @adammcgirt7123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    "We were never pigs" 🤣🤦‍♂️
    I promise ya, this guy pigged out all the way.

    • @greenjupiter
      @greenjupiter 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What did he mean by we were never pigs.

    • @adammcgirt7123
      @adammcgirt7123 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      He's trying to say they were never greedy,

    • @renewashington791
      @renewashington791 21 วันที่ผ่านมา

      😂😂😂😂😂

  • @tylerkeller8869
    @tylerkeller8869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +148

    The amount of greed and willingness to turn a blind eye in both the 2008 collapse and Bernie Madoff, goes so deep and extensive that the show American Greed could do a 16 part series on it and not run out of material.

    • @wendygill8013
      @wendygill8013 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      WHITE FOLKS!

    • @markfroman738
      @markfroman738 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@wendygill8013 greed is. Sickness

    • @markfroman738
      @markfroman738 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Greed is a sickness.

    • @jeanlind7540
      @jeanlind7540 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Exactly same in UK & many UK investors put money into Madoff through their high street banks. No bankers went to jail.

    • @MSWSB
      @MSWSB ปีที่แล้ว

      These people just took money for pretending to buy and sell stocks. Typical dishonest business practices. They are nothing compared to the W.H.O., the CDC, the FDA, the AMA, The traitorous politicians, and all the complicit “news” agencies that helped perpetrate the greatest crime against humanity that we’ve seen. The NAZI’s of 1940’s Germany were identified as the monsters they were and punished for their crimes.
      The global cabal that foisted the frauds around CO**D 19 on the planet and all the extenuating damage on generations to come have all been ignored and escape even the smallest justice for what they colluded to do.

  • @ingemeyertjejamba9766
    @ingemeyertjejamba9766 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    'My wife and I came up with the answer, 'God wanted us rich so we got rich'.
    Wow!

  • @dahliacheung6020
    @dahliacheung6020 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    "Thirty-two hundred seems to be more than fifteen," made me spit out my drink. It's so ridiculous I can't help thinking, "but are you sure it's more? Can you really be certain?" And said with a straight face too! These people, man. They lie as easy as they breathe and make the most stupendous statements as if they were saying something like, "yes, I did have coffee this morning..."

  • @u2ooby
    @u2ooby 3 ปีที่แล้ว +211

    Two accountants had no idea how this magical 20%+ return was created and no deep questions to find out...maybe they worked for Arthur Anderson i.e. Enron

    • @rickmercedes4285
      @rickmercedes4285 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right !

    • @delacruztaylor
      @delacruztaylor 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You always plead ignorance and pass blame............its the Ethical Way

    • @twincherry4958
      @twincherry4958 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      The accountant game: Don't ask, don't know

    • @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
      @windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Anyone who's ever read the markets knows its never, ever consistent, especially not by an even 20%.
      Duh.

    • @Kyoto_Ed
      @Kyoto_Ed 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 right, even 8% is dodgy

  • @LaLagunz187
    @LaLagunz187 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I’m obsessed with that old New Yorker Bienes 😂 he’s hilarious

  • @sonnyjohnson8887
    @sonnyjohnson8887 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    SEC had madoff in their sight , but Madoff had SEC in his pocket .. shocking they( sec ) still did not raise eyebrow even after learning Madoff had over 3200 clients while operating as an unregistered financial advisor

  • @Zoomer30_
    @Zoomer30_ 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    If, in 2008, I was getting statements that looked like somethings printed in 1980, I'd call the SEC.

  • @falldownhard
    @falldownhard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +160

    This was by far my favorite of all the documentaries on Madoff. Frontline at its best - so much content packed into less than an hour.

    • @mrsx7944
      @mrsx7944 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      The new one on Netflix isn't bad.

    • @GreekOrthodox7
      @GreekOrthodox7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mrsx7944 Netflix is bad, stop using it!

    • @Fontaine-qe1ke
      @Fontaine-qe1ke 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@GreekOrthodox7 i9kkkkkkykikkk9yyikik6koooooo9kkoookyp0😮 ok sis p😊

    • @sparkleevenmore9638
      @sparkleevenmore9638 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Frontline is THE best

    • @pkhaloobonaccio9883
      @pkhaloobonaccio9883 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      in a non us resident but rest assured that i consider every PBS documentaries as extremely insightful .

  • @phanCAbe
    @phanCAbe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +180

    Not a single innocent person in this whole doc.

    • @pendejo6466
      @pendejo6466 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Not even Bernie Madoff?

    • @alvinasandra6233
      @alvinasandra6233 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@pendejo6466 😂😂😂

    • @jigminidup2406
      @jigminidup2406 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Not even the narrator?

    • @ivangutierrez3507
      @ivangutierrez3507 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@alvinasandra6233 😆

    • @Andy-em8xt
      @Andy-em8xt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      What about the guy who figured out the scam and sent it to the SEC

  • @Noneya5241
    @Noneya5241 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    I have a hard time feeling bad for people that owned a 16,000 square foot house and had to sell for a “smaller” apartment

  • @alphachow
    @alphachow ปีที่แล้ว +5

    That Bienes guy should have been on The Sopranos, part of Tony's crew teaching lessons on morality.

  • @issam88
    @issam88 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1855

    Great Documentary, only one thing to take from it is: Never try to screw rich people out of their money, if you do, you will end up in jail for a very very long time. Do the same thing with the poor and everyonewill call it "will of the free market" and CEOs will get millions in bonuses and golden parachutes

    • @ns2596
      @ns2596 3 ปีที่แล้ว +128

      Actually...the rich people didn’t mind fraud as long as they were not the bag holders at the end

    • @sarahwiles1749
      @sarahwiles1749 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      😉

    • @richardbittner3933
      @richardbittner3933 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      You are so so sadly RIGHT

    • @r-kellyspeesheets908
      @r-kellyspeesheets908 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Correct. Look at Jordan Belfort....

    • @blaquentgruppe6547
      @blaquentgruppe6547 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Oh stop
      The poor cheat and steal daily

  • @mattmarkus4868
    @mattmarkus4868 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Previously chairman of the NASDAQ, the guy wasn't even registered with the SEC and had thousands of customers and billions under management. Simply crazy. And the SEC was alerted at least 5 times and nothing happened and nothing ever would have happened if not for the financial crisis in housing. It's almost hard to believe!

    • @yankees29
      @yankees29 ปีที่แล้ว

      Didn’t one of his relatives work with the SEC at one point.

  • @jacquelinewilson2279
    @jacquelinewilson2279 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    What an impressive documentary. Sophisticated analysis and entertaining. Thanks

  • @MrDuds1984
    @MrDuds1984 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The NetFlix special on Maddof is amazing and worth the watch. It’s crazy how the SEC looked the other way on this whole thing when he was right under their nose

  • @amutah8063
    @amutah8063 3 ปีที่แล้ว +169

    I'm sorry but if someone promises you a steady annual return of about 20% and you believe him, then you can't blame the government. Most of his investors were sophisticated people who should have known better but they were blinded by greed.

    • @BarraKade87
      @BarraKade87 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      These days an index fund nearly does that for 0.03% fee. How are hedge funds still alive?

    • @jonking5318
      @jonking5318 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The government shares blame. If they were middle class or poor most of those people would be interviewing in prison. Totally different rules.

    • @davidwright873
      @davidwright873 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      and 'Greed' being the operative word here. Without that, Madoff's got nothing...

    • @wingberry123
      @wingberry123 ปีที่แล้ว

      Exactly what I was thinking while watching. These people were mostly wealthy and highly educated individuals. They must had a bit of doubt.

  • @lindathrall5133
    @lindathrall5133 3 ปีที่แล้ว +187

    HE WASN'T A LEGEND HE WAS A THIEF

    • @randomdude3646
      @randomdude3646 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      💯 why are people glorying this man?

    • @alecnickel4572
      @alecnickel4572 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Its the same as people glorifying Jordan Belfort after the Wolf of Wall Street movie. People dont learn

    • @Amy-un6oh
      @Amy-un6oh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      People are stupid and will glorify anyone.

    • @ehiggins360
      @ehiggins360 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Hater

    • @cappsginny699
      @cappsginny699 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I don't see any glorifying...

  • @edoziengwu
    @edoziengwu ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Absolutely amazing documentary.

  • @Nighthawk-8050
    @Nighthawk-8050 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I would love to see an update a sequel of this great PBS documentary

  • @kelvinloeb812
    @kelvinloeb812 3 ปีที่แล้ว +103

    I would count my fingers after shaking Bienes's hand

    • @dyembag
      @dyembag 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      😂😂😂😂

    • @sene311
      @sene311 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      He is a true liar.

    • @ms38980
      @ms38980 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Almost missed myself! Lmao

    • @jontolar6838
      @jontolar6838 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He’s a used car salesman at best.

    • @illyXCruff
      @illyXCruff 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @airam-sj2172
    @airam-sj2172 3 ปีที่แล้ว +111

    Madoff broke a standard law, which was a red flag from the beginning. He wasn't registered.

    • @teddmented
      @teddmented 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The fund managers knew and didn’t care either

    • @ewaorlowska8027
      @ewaorlowska8027 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@teddmented .
      . n. ,

  • @phyllispatterson7352
    @phyllispatterson7352 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The main point of the story is greed. Ppl couldn't wait to give this guy their money because they wanted that big return. Putting so much trust in a person is a bad idea.

  • @John-em8jn
    @John-em8jn 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Mr. Bienes is one of the Greatest American Actors of all time. I Love his style.
    'I'm too stupid to understand how I accidentally stole millions of dollars'.
    Marlon Brando step aside for master Thespian Bienes !!

  • @tradelogikk8182
    @tradelogikk8182 2 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    "he led you to the pile of dung that is Madoff and stuck your nose in it and you couldn't figure it out"
    LMFAO that was so so great lol 😂

    • @DetectiveTrupo203
      @DetectiveTrupo203 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      That hearing is the best part of the entire video, him saying "one guy and his friends figured it out over a decade ago and you guys couldn't figure it out." Then she starts talking about having actions pending in the southern district of New York and congressman Ackerman says "you took action after the guy confessed, he turned himself in, don't pat yourself on the back for that". Absolutely hilarious, the SEC couldn't have been more incompetent, it would be like the FBI only catching criminals who confess and bring their own evidence against themselves to an FBI field office. Ridiculous.

  • @satorified1612
    @satorified1612 2 ปีที่แล้ว +106

    43:56 - "You took action after the guy confessed! He turned himself in! Don't give yourself a pat on the back for that...." haha. Rep. Ackerman of New York is my hero.

    • @hutseh
      @hutseh 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Direct attention away from one's own discrepancies. None of these politicians should be anyone's hero.

    • @satorified1612
      @satorified1612 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@hutseh .....wouldn't doubt it, but it makes for good theater either way.

    • @wendygill8013
      @wendygill8013 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      WHITE FOLKS!

    • @wendygill8013
      @wendygill8013 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      WHITE FOLKS!

    • @scottodonnell7121
      @scottodonnell7121 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@wendygill8013 He's a Jew, probably didn't consider himself White.

  • @Mirroxaphene
    @Mirroxaphene 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    One of my favorite shows on Bernie. I love you Bernie! Such a legendary wall-street tycoon!

  • @vandrive5687
    @vandrive5687 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    In “people pleaser” Madoff’s extraordinary effort to never let his investors down ultimately led to letting everyone of them down quite dramatically. A real irony tragedy.

  • @peacenow4456
    @peacenow4456 3 ปีที่แล้ว +208

    Martin Smith is one of the very best investigative journalists/documentary film makers on the news beat, today! His details are unmatched. So many thanks to his co-writer Marcela Gaviria for your tireless work and your research crew!

    • @magnificentmuttley154
      @magnificentmuttley154 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      💯% agreed. Martin Smith & Lowell Bergman are the last of a dying breed. Everyone from Walter Kronkite to Mike Wallace, Ted Koppel, Charles Koralt, & many others are long gone now. And accolades to Bill Kurtis for his _Decades_ Channel... Investigative Reporting has been dead a long time in this Country, along with the fine people who for several decades (?? 50 years) made it what it was. Even PBS' _Nova_ occasionally deviated from their usual Science & Technology to delve deep into major stories at one time, such as the "Exxon Valdez" disaster in 1989, with their episode _The Big Spill..._
      We're talking about once in a lifetime & once in a century exposés, with the very best background information & due diligence... Miles of videotape locked away in archives likely never to be seen by the public again, except MAYBE in some randomly occurring, future PBS special 😪🇺🇸

    • @ShutDFckOff
      @ShutDFckOff ปีที่แล้ว

      30:00 It's funny how Sandra Manzke ( with all her education) is being told by Martin Smith what she should have done back on those days , being on top position, how to catch and confirm the legitimacy of Bernie's account. But Bernie was really smart because he targeted the likes of her who is greedy to the core! They are so greedy with the constant flow of money that they did not bother to confirm.

    • @kmcrae6687
      @kmcrae6687 ปีที่แล้ว

      LIGHT! TRUTH! JUSTICE ⚖️

  • @apointtomake1517
    @apointtomake1517 2 ปีที่แล้ว +157

    Best part is watching the "victims" being asked the hard questions and watch them squirm to try and answer without looking bad.

    • @YTDE426
      @YTDE426 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Yeah, bc if you are investing you are bad by default 🤡

    • @conduit242
      @conduit242 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yeah that didn’t happen even once 🙄

    • @jamesbarker5254
      @jamesbarker5254 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      You have to look back at the time some of them invested. Its not like today were if you dont have a clue about something you can google it. Google and the internet didnt exist.

    • @conduit242
      @conduit242 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@jamesbarker5254 They could have gone to a library, which is a building full of knowledge.

    • @jamesbarker5254
      @jamesbarker5254 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@conduit242 look im not saying that they couldnt do their own due diligence I'm just saying it was a little harder to figure out numbers when it comes to the stock market back then especially at the age that some of these people were at.

  • @dukengare5354
    @dukengare5354 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Here for assignment, great documentary!

  • @MacNCheese69
    @MacNCheese69 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    Smart people getting outsmarted by not only others but ultimately themselves because they couldn’t see the Ponzi scheme lie and chose to put their money with him is just pure poetry. Life always finds a way to make things right. These people deserved what happened to them because they invested with Madoff due to disgusting greed.

    • @rickmassey1272
      @rickmassey1272 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ❤EXACTLY

    • @brandonmcgrew4367
      @brandonmcgrew4367 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Then don’t ask for pity when catastrophe hits your life, and you’re out on the street. Guarantee if you’d ever struggled in your life, you wouldn’t be saying this.

  • @chel3SEY
    @chel3SEY 3 ปีที่แล้ว +65

    Manzke is extraordinary. She obviously turned a blind eye to everything odd and question-begging about Madoff, as long as the money was rolling in. She has some cheek appearing on camera to brush all this off.

    • @AoifeNic_an_t-Saoir
      @AoifeNic_an_t-Saoir 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Exactly! It sounds like she doesn’t even really believe her own protestations. Her ignorance makes her just as culpable as the rest of them.

    • @jonking5318
      @jonking5318 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      She was the worst. She should have been charged. Along with others.

    • @malcolmtaylor7567
      @malcolmtaylor7567 ปีที่แล้ว

      Totally agree

  • @joefin5900
    @joefin5900 2 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    Why the SEC waited five years to go after him is the real story.

    • @kimstringfellow6493
      @kimstringfellow6493 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They were too busy building him up. Just like how the exhaled SBF.

    • @gabrielfreitas8105
      @gabrielfreitas8105 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      9 years actually. Markopoulus first wrote to them in 1999

  • @dare_stumble
    @dare_stumble 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    What a top doc you made!
    Understandable to me who is in no-knowledge about wall street, stocks and what so ever.
    This is a master piece⭐️
    You made sense out of what many made no-sense of explaining/understanding how M could have this fraud for so long time.
    Thank you from Sweden!

    • @sevensages5279
      @sevensages5279 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      "To Catch A Trader" is another one of their top documentaries!
      It cover the billionaire hedge fund manager, Steve Cohen who was investigated for Insider trading!

  • @catsario7512
    @catsario7512 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Excellent documentary as always

  • @Sameoldfitup
    @Sameoldfitup 2 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    “Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.

    • @yesterdayitrained
      @yesterdayitrained 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Deep.

    • @greenjupiter
      @greenjupiter 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      This quote showed me something life changing. Thank you for sharing. God bless you

  • @VickieVale367
    @VickieVale367 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    That Michael Bienese promo was hilarious 😂 he’s a real renaissance man.

    • @somnuswaltz5586
      @somnuswaltz5586 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought you was wanting to be shaved... down there.

    • @1jesus2music3duke
      @1jesus2music3duke ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I want an entire documentary just about Bienes. The man, the myth, the legend.

    • @Janice360
      @Janice360 ปีที่แล้ว

      LOL Right?! 😂

  • @1jackmac
    @1jackmac ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great documentary . Crazy stuff. Enjoyed watching wizard of lies as well

  • @SKF358
    @SKF358 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Will Lyman, the greatest documentary voice.

  • @joebournat
    @joebournat 2 ปีที่แล้ว +203

    I love the couple who blame everybody but their own greed. Madoff and others like him succeed because investors do not do their own due diligence and are driven by their innate greed which prevents them seeing how unrealistic the promised returns were.

    • @falseprogress
      @falseprogress ปีที่แล้ว

      A perpetual growth economy is also a Ponzi scheme. Wait until global oil production peaks, meaning the U.S. fracking component propping up the illusion that 2008 was merely a "financial" recession (conventional crude oil had already plateaued around 2006). Few people care to fully understand how the economy is propped up by finite fossil fuels, which cannot be replaced by "renewables" on such a vast scale.

    • @thelouster5815
      @thelouster5815 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh, they do the DD. The thing is they’re not looking for ethics, only money. If it makes good money, damn the consequences.
      Wall Street people would nuke the world if they could profit from it.

    • @Mo-yd8xc
      @Mo-yd8xc ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Sounds a lot like this Nigerian prince scams.

    • @edwardfiorvante6123
      @edwardfiorvante6123 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Why didn’t these people do their own due diligence? Like I said they didn’t ask questions because they probably felt something was not right and illegal but as long as they gained money they didn’t care until they didn’t!!!

    • @LCplDwayneHicks
      @LCplDwayneHicks ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yeah we should blame the victims in this case.

  • @sweeepzone5155
    @sweeepzone5155 3 ปีที่แล้ว +167

    I always wonder what it was like working at Madoff's firm.
    Coming in day after day, sitting at your desk working, your one to one appraisals and meetings etc etc. And the whole time it was just a ponzi scheme where no investing/trading was even taking place. Like those employees were like the most dedicated real life background artists/extras of all time

    • @cacornhusker2940
      @cacornhusker2940 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Working at Madoff's Firm was akin to being a Gov't Employed Dreg.

    • @rhlopez2694
      @rhlopez2694 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      I doubt they even showed up.

    • @gothenmosph5151
      @gothenmosph5151 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Madoff had two firms, the legitimate one was where the vast majority of his employees were (like 98% of them) and the other was a total sham. They were in the same building, one took up the 18th floor and the sham business was in the 17th floor and was apparently devoid of people beyond a just a few (a couple who went to prison with him and some secretary types who didn't know enough to understand what was going on).
      For the secretary types it was probably an amazing job. I'm sure they were paid quite well and didn't have nearly as tough of a job as they would have in a legitimate business. The other few people on the 17th floor went to prison along with one outside 'auditor'. I imagine their existence was pretty full of stress wondering when the house of cards would collapse but also reveling in the money at the same time.

    • @sweeepzone5155
      @sweeepzone5155 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@gothenmosph5151 This clears a lot up. I could never understand the set up before

    • @DanWilan
      @DanWilan ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Most business are ponzi but his was a little bit obvious

  • @glindavies
    @glindavies ปีที่แล้ว +3

    My father always taught me if it's looks to good to be true it probably is😂😂😂

  • @jcf4273
    @jcf4273 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    He’s got a tell. Stares up every time he lies

  • @christineallen4852
    @christineallen4852 2 ปีที่แล้ว +138

    The insane thing is if the recession didn’t happen he would have never been caught

    • @michaeldoughty1782
      @michaeldoughty1782 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      I do wonder how many others are doing this type of scheme and are getting away with it?

    • @SHurd-rc2go
      @SHurd-rc2go 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I call it a crash.

    • @austinstambene3087
      @austinstambene3087 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@michaeldoughty1782 Ken Griffin took over for Bernie

    • @andrew_koala2974
      @andrew_koala2974 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Christine Allen -
      You are misinformed.
      - Madoff described the investment fund as "one big lie" to his sons -
      who promptly informed the authorities.
      Madoff was arrested the next day and his assets were frozen - as were
      those of his wife - and sons' assets later on.
      Do your homework.

    • @christineallen4852
      @christineallen4852 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@andrew_koala2974 what am I missed informed about ? He only admitted it b/c ppl were pulling out and asking for their money b/c of the crash !! Do your homework !!

  • @robertmahler8894
    @robertmahler8894 3 ปีที่แล้ว +179

    I worked in a similar environment, and the unspoken rule was that you do what you have to do to get the job done, and as long as you are successful, ALL is forgiven, including bad behavior, cheating, sexual harassment and just being the worst human being--the end justifies the mean.
    If you fail, then all you do is under a microscope and everybody is preaching righteousness!

    • @lonelylantern9135
      @lonelylantern9135 3 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      "The end justifies the mean" is the psychopath's mantra worldwide and in any walk of life.

    • @tonytresfg2323
      @tonytresfg2323 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      That's finance.......i worked in that field too VERY stressful work environment. Every showing off trying to make you look bad to impress higher up mgrs. I'm a lyft driver and don't miss it at all.

    • @teddmented
      @teddmented 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Truth

    • @dudelebowski483
      @dudelebowski483 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Case in point Wells Fargo

    • @1927su
      @1927su ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Did you work for the former President? Wow…

  • @roalddahl1623
    @roalddahl1623 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Perfect name. His family prospered from his activities (schools, houses, holidays) but only he went to jail. The sentence was ridiculous, no one lives that long. Investors, mostly wealthy, were happy when the money was rolling - sheer greed - when the problems occur they threw the lawyers at him.

  • @francesyoungperson1882
    @francesyoungperson1882 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    EXCELLENT FRONTLINE !❤👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👌
    THANKS🙏🙏😘 FOR YOUR INVESTGATIVE EXPERTISE🏆🏅🎺🎺🎺♦️

  • @apemancommeth9651
    @apemancommeth9651 3 ปีที่แล้ว +246

    His sons both died as a result of the stress and shame he gave them

    • @frankdenardo8684
      @frankdenardo8684 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      His dad has kicked the bucket

    • @oncoucharrest5910
      @oncoucharrest5910 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      One son died of cancer, the other committed suicide.

    • @apemancommeth9651
      @apemancommeth9651 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @@oncoucharrest5910 right! The one that committed suicide died on either his dads birthday or something specific to his dad, and the other probably had severe stress caused by this situation which can be a contributor to getting cancer! That’s all I was getting at!

    • @oncoucharrest5910
      @oncoucharrest5910 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@apemancommeth9651 the son was diagnosed with cancer before the news broke about the scheme but I’m sure the stress of the situation didn’t help with his well being. Take care 😊

    • @apemancommeth9651
      @apemancommeth9651 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@oncoucharrest5910 🤝👍

  • @emiliorosa9896
    @emiliorosa9896 3 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    thank you frontline for this story love the way u guys are so professional

    • @ST-xg3gy
      @ST-xg3gy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Class enterprise.

    • @emiliorosa9896
      @emiliorosa9896 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@ST-xg3gy thanks you for being positive energy

    • @masonj910
      @masonj910 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yh the narrator is so good

  • @markrichardson3566
    @markrichardson3566 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video, keep going from Canada ❤️

  • @peterdelman4623
    @peterdelman4623 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    If anyone has ever seen the movie "The Sting", Paul Newman's character recruits all of these drifters to act as legitmate patrons at the gambling house to deceive Robert Shaw's character to get him to bet all of his money with him thinking all along that he was going to beat the house . He was falsely tipped off on which horse was going to win the race and he was scammed out of his money. The similarites to what happened here are amazingly close. The people working for Madoff's firm knew damn well they weren't doing anything else but scamming people out of their money as they performed little to no trades whatsoever, and the the people being scammed were blinded by greed.

  • @Cientxa
    @Cientxa 2 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    How can you not watch this, it is so well done. Our capitalist culture is greed driven, it is not unthinkable that this is still happening with improved technology available to today’s scammers.

    • @madhugmk
      @madhugmk ปีที่แล้ว

      I think capitalist culture has was the driver but the SEC was the democratic institution that failed to stop that greed. There will always be scammers and cheaters but the govt's failure to address it for 10 years clearly shows how democracy can erode over time.

    • @unknowndriver6652
      @unknowndriver6652 ปีที่แล้ว

      Absolutely

    • @juliamundt101
      @juliamundt101 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Crypto is the next domino to fall -

    • @carsonteague9645
      @carsonteague9645 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Sam bankman fried

    • @trombleysingleton
      @trombleysingleton 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@user-bw2pm2ff2cRonald Reagan profile picture surely does not have a biased take on this matter

  • @goldsbym
    @goldsbym 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    How to spot a liar.... almost everyone in this documentary.

  • @jpo.9958
    @jpo.9958 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Joke of the day: Sec going after financial fraud

  • @aztronomy7457
    @aztronomy7457 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Bienes face is literally the “lie face” on suspects from LA Noire lol. “Press X to doubt”.