BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor:
And speaking of disconnects, the man who got filthy rich in a
Ponzi scheme
at the expense of so many people and so many charities is back in the news tonight, his family is as well, and many of the people who suffered so much are outraged that the
Madoffs
are now once again getting so much attention. The story from
NBC
's
Ron Allen
.
RON ALLEN reporting:
Retirees Judith Welling
and
Dewitt Baker
now live on pensions and
social security
. Gone is $2 1/2 million invested with
Bernie Madoff
.
Ms. JUDITH WELLING:
We are rather, at this point though, resentful of the
Madoff
family looking for sympathy.
Mr. DEWITT BAKER:
Oh, God.
ALLEN:
When
Madoff
faced a judge almost three years ago for orchestrating an estimated $80 billion
Ponzi scheme
, and charities alone lost a billion dollars, his victims gathered at the courthouse, their outrage clear.
Unidentified Man:
I think the only thing he's sorry about is that he got caught.
ALLEN:
And now many feel victimized again as the
Madoffs
do television interviews talking about their own tough times while launching books with their side of the story.
Ms. RUTH MADOFF:
We took pills and woke up the next day.
ALLEN:
Madoff
's estranged wife
Ruth
talking about how the couple tried to commit suicide, and
Bernie Madoff
in a jailhouse interview.
Ms. BARBARA WALTERS:
And so he is happier there than he was on the outside.
ALLEN:
And Mrs.
Madoff
tells her story live on the "Today" show Monday.
Mr. RICHARD FRIEDMAN (Madoff Victim):
I don't think anything the
Madoffs
say, ever, you can really believe in because they've been proven liars.
Ms. CYNTHIA FRIEDMAN (Madoff Victim):
It just makes me ill. It really does.
ALLEN:
Richard
and
Cynthia Friedman
say they're still trying to figure out how much they lost while putting off retirement. And today reaction to the
Madoff
interviews has been spiking on
Internet news
websites and
social media
, with more
Madoff
victims venting. "Did they try to smother themselves in a big bag of money," writes a woman in
California
who says she lost millions.
Welling
and
Baker
say they've received a small amount of compensation money, but they're in the minority. Most victims can only hope the
Madoffs
' books raise more money that somehow find its way to them.
Ron Allen
, NBC News, New York.
“ ”