How did Bernie Madoff get caught and when did the 'Monster of Wall Street' die?

As Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street hits Netflix, true-crime fans are desperate to find out everything there is to know about the infamous Bernie Madoff. 

Christmas may be over, but that doesn't mean the TV entertainment has to stop. 

With the dark evenings and cold weather far from over, it's safe to say that cozy nights on the couch are still very much in trend. The New Year is also a golden time for fresh viewing content, with shows like Alice in Borderland and films like I Wanna Dance With Somebody already getting us excited for 2023. 

If you're looking for something a little more hard-hitting this month, you won't be disappointed. Our round-up of the best new Netflix TV shows and movies to watch in January is chock-a-block with morbid escapism, proving that the US streaming platform isn't about to abandon its reputation for producing some of the most addictive true-crime content out there. 

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street arrived on Netflix on January 4, and it's already gotten people talking. The brand-new docuseries explores the life of Bernie Madoff, the American financier who was convicted in 2009 for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Directed by Joe Berlinger, the four-part thriller gives audiences an insight into how the disgraced businessman went from a penny stock trader to a criminal mastermind over the course of his astonishing career. 

How did Bernie Madoff get caught?

Bernie Madoff was caught in 2008 after he tearfully confessed his crimes to his two sons, Mark and Andrew. 

Both Mark and Andrew were working as executives at Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities at the time of its collapse, having joined the financial company at the beginning of their careers. Despite their employment at the firm, they repeatedly denied any involvement in their father's Ponzi scheme. 

After consulting with a lawyer, Mark and Andrew turned their father in to the federal police, who arrested him at his New York City penthouse apartment the following day. 

What did Bernie Madoff do with the money?

There are many theories as to what Madoff did what the money he acquired through his Ponzi scheme, but it remains unclear just where all of the cash went. 

What is indisputable, however, was Madoff's lavish lifestyle. Court documents revealed that the Wall Street fraudster enjoyed a luxurious existence before getting caught, having amassed a fortune of almost $830 million from his three decades of operating the Ponzi scheme. His credit card bills were perhaps one of the best insights into just how ostentatious his spending was, exposing a $2,800 restaurant dinner and an $8,400 charge for just one night at a hotel. 

Madoff also owned plenty of real estate, including a $7m apartment in Manhattan and another home in New York state, a $1m house in the south of France, and an $11m house in Florida. 

If that wasn't enough to make your eyes water, the disgraced businessman was also known to have fine tastes when it to his belongings. He boasted $10m worth of furniture and art, including a $39,000 Steinway piano and $65,000 worth of silverware in his New York City apartment. 

When did Bernie Madoff die?

Bernie Madoff died of natural causes on April 14, 2021, at the Federal Medical Center Butner, in North Carolina. Aged 82, he had served almost 12 years of his 150-year prison sentence at the time of his passing. A death certificate for Bernie Madoff obtained by TMZ revealed that the convicted criminal had been suffering from chronic kidney disease, as well as high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. He was cremated in Durham, North Carolina. 

Just two months before Bernie's death, his sister, Sondra Wiener, 87, and her 90-year-old husband Marvin, were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide at their Florida home.