In December 2008, amidst a world gripped by financial crisis, Bernard Madoff, a respected fund manager, and former chairman of Nasdaq, was arrested by the Fbi for reportedly bilking thousands of trusting investors out of $50 billion. In the first comprehensive account of this financial mastermind's epic Ponzi scheme, Catastrophe exposes the real story behind Madoff's upstanding facade-his confession, his family's involvement, and his unlikely rise and incredible crash. The book defines and explains the whole diabolical debacle, including how he seduced and persuaded sophisticated investors, how he evaded Sec watchdogs, and how his far-reaching crime pervaded the world. With first-hand victim accounts lending a human-interest viewpoint, the book peels back Madoff's persona layer by layer, revealing how he developed his elaborate deceit and how and why he targeted and scammed the world of Jewish philanthropy. Complete with the famous whistle-blower letter to the Sec, the now unavailable-to-the-public Madoff company mission statement, Sec filings, and a list of victims-from household names to housewives-Catastrophe offers a complete look at the white-collar crime of the century that will leave readers both astounded and in disbelief. Book jacket.