Bernie Madoff
Bernard L. Madoff pleaded guilty in 2009 to the largest Ponzi scheme then recorded in U.S. court, after his New York investment business collapsed in December 2008.
Charles Ponzi
Charles Ponzi's 1920 Boston collapse, built on promised profits from postal reply coupons, gave the English language its name for paying earlier investors with later ones.
| Bernie Madoff | Charles Ponzi | |
|---|---|---|
| Notoriety | 95 | 90 |
| Mystery | 22 | 20 |
| Scale | 94 | 55 |
| Evidence | 82 | 70 |
| Legal impact | 80 | 75 |
| Culture | 85 | 92 |
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.