Harry M. Markopolos is a famous person in the world of American finance. Former director of the securities industry and financial fraud investigator, a mathematical genius who in 1999-2008 discovered and made public evidence that the famous financier Bernie Madoff was responsible for one of the greatest financial scams in the history of Wall Street. The financial pyramid based on the "Ponzi scheme" created by Madoff was supposed to earn nearly $65 billion - all under the close eye of the authorities and investors. Markopolos has reported his insights on Madoff to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) several times over the years, but the committee has always ignored his comments. The truth came to light in 2008 when Madoff's illegal practices were reported to the FBI by his son.
Markopolos then published the book “No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller”, which told about his private investigation, the calculations that clearly showed how extensive Madoff's actions were, and how much the US Securities and Exchange Commission had failed.
It took Harry Markopolos a lot of effort and courage to reveal the truth about Madoff's investment fund fraud. There were millions of dollars at stake, so the man carried a gun for many years, checked the car's chassis for fear of a planted bomb. The whistleblower expected revenge. At that time, the activity of whistleblowers was not as well known and widely practiced as it is today.
To this day, no one knows why the signals and evidence provided by Macropolis were so ignored. Apparently it was not about bribes. The explanation is perhaps more straightforward - it was hard to accept that someone with Madoff’s reputation would be able to fool hundreds of reputable customers.
Markopolos is regarded as one of the first whistleblowers. His stubbornness and financial abilities allowed Madoff to be sentenced to nearly 150 years in prison.
