NEW YORK - Imprisoned Ponzi scheme king Bernard Madoff’s longtime secretary plans to defend herself from the witness stand at her trial on accusations she aided the historic fraud, her lawyer says.
Attorney Roland Riopelle told the trial judge in a letter Saturday that Annette Bongiorno expects to testify, although he noted she could change her mind at the last minute. He notified the judge because Bongiorno’s defense presentation is expected to begin today.
It will follow several days of testimony by another defendant, Daniel Bonventre, Madoff’s former director of operations. Bonventre, Bongiorno and three other Madoff ex-employees are accused of assisting Madoff in a fraud that cheated thousands of investors out of nearly $20 billion.
The fraud was revealed in December 2008 when Madoff ran out of money and confessed he had been running a Ponzi scheme for decades.
The defendants say they were all duped by Madoff, just the same as federal regulators and sophisticated investors who say they had no idea he was operating a massive fraud.
Prosecutors have said fictitious trades and phantom accounts were created with help from Bongiorno, who was a supervisor in Madoff’s private-investment business.
During his testimony, Bonventre said he was unaware of Madoff’s crimes as they were happening. He said he ran the legitimate side of Madoff’s business.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 02/24/2014