One Hundred and Fifty Years

On June 29, 2009, Bernard L. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Once a celebrated Wall Street figure and former NASDAQ chairman, Madoff had spent decades inventing billions in fictitious returns while quietly draining clients of their savings. The courtroom that day was filled with people who had lost everything. This episode tells the story of how he built it, how long it lasted, and what justice looks like when the law runs out of numbers.