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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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7

Madoff HQ Was 'Coke-Fueled Animal House'

Ponzi kingpin now sharing cell with drug offender

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(Newser) – Bernie Madoff ran the druggiest, most decadent securities fraud in town, according to court papers filed yesterday. Madoff's offices were so awash in cocaine—paid for with investors' money—that it was nicknamed "the North Pole," and the firm hosted drug-fueled parties featuring topless waitresses, according to a lawsuit filed by swindled investors. Nuggets about Madoff's precipitous fall from the high life are tucked throughout the 276-page document seeking restitution from Madoff, family members and other financial entities who knew bout the scam, according to the suit.

The suit contrasts Madoff's luxurious former lifestyle with his somewhat drabber present-day existence. Madoff shares a cell with a 21-year-old drug offender and eats pizza cooked by a child molester, the New York Daily News reports. His jailhouse pals include mob boss Carmine Persico and convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, according to the lawsuit, which cites several interviews with unspecified sources.

Why is this man smiling?
Why is this man smiling?   ( AP Photo/Stuart Ramson)
The joker.
The joker.   (AP Photo/Illustration by Darrow for New York Magazine)
Bernard Madoff poses on the Wall Street trading floor in 1999 when he was living the high life.
Bernard Madoff poses on the Wall Street trading floor in 1999 when he was living the high life.   (AP Photo/The New York Times, Ruby Washington)
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Employees described it as a wild, fast-talking, drug-using office culture. - Lawsuit filed against Bernard Madoff

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7 comments
VIEWING:
 
Netstorm2k9
Oct 21, 09 2:59 AM CDT
Ya play, ya pay. Ahh, the hedonism of the rich. Reply
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drlarrymitchell
Oct 21, 09 3:35 AM CDT
Um, yeah, I'd like to work there. Reply
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+1
cementhead
Oct 21, 09 4:42 AM CDT
Madoff and mob bosses like Persico won't have any trouble finding more blow on the inside either. These guys are probably having a laugh in there. By the time they reach a minimum security facility, it's not a scary place at all. Here in Canada these people are living in little bungalows and go fishing during the day and cook prime rib for dinner. Lots of guitar playing and conjugal visits. One famous criminal even raised horses while in the jug. If there was no violence involved in their crime, the warden is forced by law to release the prisoner after serving 1/6 th of the sentence. That'll teach 'em !!! Reply
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+2
Pragmaticrealism
Oct 21, 09 12:09 PM CDT
The last person he needs contact with, for our sake, is Jonathan Pollard. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
stacysaw
Oct 21, 09 1:34 PM CDT
...or a mafia guy! they can start a loan-sharking operation that'll end up taking over 4 states.
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