Horse, barn door

Madoff's accountant charged with fraud as prosecutors begin going after his associates

Yeah, wow, big deal. Not.

The overriding fact is that the flaming, flailing fraud that was the Madoff operation was allowed to continue year after year after year. This schmuck Friehling alone kept the phony books for -- count 'em -- 17 years, and his father-in-law before that!

The issue is why the SEC did not launch a full-bore investigation years ago of this mathematically impossible nonsense. Fraud audit teams should have been rappelling from helicopters onto the Madoff roof at least a decade ago. Instead, the SEC sat on its hands, even in the face of multiple, recurrent demands for investigation, including specific allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

Is there no such thing as nonfeasance by a government agency? A private organization would be looking down the barrels of the Mother of All Negligence Suits. That's the scandal, and it's not going to be allayed now, at this preposterously, pathetically late date, by rounding up any number of 32-year-old accountants that Bernie corrupted.

Byron