Madoff Was Like a God, Wizard of Oz, Lawyers Tell Jury
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Five former employees of Bernard L. Madoff on trial for allegedly aiding his $17 billion Ponzi scheme were kept in the dark about the fraud and duped by his personality and reputation, a jury was told.
The group’s lawyers took turns giving opening statements in federal court in New York yesterday, saying their clients failed to recognize the carefully crafted fraud because they either idolized Madoff for decades or didn’t have the skills.