Bernie Madoff is one of the greatest crooks in history. The Bernie Madoff scandal makes gold one of the top Ponzi schemes in the United States. Madoff founded the Wall Street firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, in 1960. Starting as a stock trader with five thousand dollars earned from his work as a lifeguard and sprinkler installer, his business began to grow. develop with the support of his father-in-law, Saul Alpern, who helped him by sending him a group of close friends and family members. Originally, his company traded through the National Quotations Bureau's Pink Sheets. However, in order to compete with the larger companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange, his company began using highly intelligent computer software that allowed its quotes to be distributed in seconds, then minutes. This software later became the NASDAQ we know today. In December 2008, Bernard Madoff admitted to having embezzled billions of dollars from investors. This operation is estimated to have lasted nearly two decades and resulted in the theft of approximately $64.8 billion. On December 11, 2008, he was arrested...