Bernie Madoff, the financier from New York City who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died Wednesday in federal prison.
Madoff’s Ponzi scheme collapsed in 2008 during the Great Recession, and he was arrested after his sons went to federal authorities.
At the time of his arrest, fake account statements told clients Madoff’s scheme had holdings worth $60 billion. A court-appointed trustee has recovered more than $13 billion of an estimated $17.5 billion investors put into Madoff’s business.
His decades-long scam included ordinary citizens, but the list of people swindled by Madoff included numerous celebrities, from actors to athletes to politicians. Here are some of the famous names scammed by Madoff:
Carl Shapiro: Founder of women’s clothing brand Kay Windsor.
Fred Wilpon: Former owner of the New York Mets.
Steven Spielberg: Academy Award-winning director.
Jeffrey Katzenberg: Co-founder of DreamWorks Pictures alongside Spielberg.
Mortimer Zuckerman: Chairman and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report, publisher of the New York Daily News.
Larry Silverstein: Famous for helping develop the World Trade Center.
Leonard Feinstein: Co-founder of Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Eric Roth: American screenwriter for films such as “Forrest Gump” and “A Star Is Born”.
Larry King: Emmy-winning American television and radio host.
Frank Lautenberg: Former United States senator.
Norman Braman: Former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick: Golden Globe-winning actors and married couple.
Zsa Zsa Gabor: Former Miss Hungary in 1936 and starred in Moulin Rouge (1952).
John Malkovich: American actor, director and producer.
Sandy Koufax: MLB Hall of Fame pitcher from the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tim Teufel: Former MLB second baseman, won 1986 World Series with the New York Mets.
Phyllis George: Miss America 1971, and a pioneer in women sports broadcasting.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jord_mendoza.
