Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff took a shot at ABC for mischaracterizing his life in the television network’s miniseries that aired earlier this month.
Madoff, who is serving a 150-year sentence in federal prison, scoffed at his portrayal in “Madoff” in an email to network rival NBC.
“I’m sure it is fruitless to enumerate the numerous fiction and absurd mischaracterization (sic) in the ABC movie,” Madoff wrote and NBC reported on Feb. 16. “However I have never been one to turn the other cheek. I will just cover those incidents that have drawn queries.”
Madoff, 77, pleaded guilty in 2009 to defrauding investors of tens of billions of dollars in what is considered the largest financial crime in U.S. history. Many of his victims were Jewish and Israel-related philanthropies, as well as individual American Jews.
In his email Madoff, who reportedly saw the miniseries starring Richard Dreyfuss in the title role, asserted that “I have NEVER slapped my son Mark.”
He also clarified that his wife, Ruth, was never “an officer” in his firm, and objected to the characterization of his brother, Peter, as a “pathetic soul.” Madoff also denied having an affair with the chief financial officer of a Jewish charity harmed by the scheme and called her a “stalker.” — jta