The son of convicted ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff was found dead this weekend hanging by his neck from a dog leash. Mark Madoff’s death was ruled a suicide. According to reports, he had been depressed because no one on Wall Street would give him a job.

The suicide occurred on Saturday, the second anniversary of his father’s arrest. Along with his brother Andrew, Mark had worked for his father for years, but in the trading division that was allegedly separate from the fraudulent investing division. They have maintained that they were innocent and knew nothing of their father’s schemes until he confessed to them. The brothers were the ones who first informed the authorities about their father’s deceptions.

That didn’t stop them being named in several lawsuits and they could face criminal charges stemming from investigations into the Madoff enterprise. Sources told reporters that Mark was increasingly despondent this past year and felt like the walls were closing in on him.

Their last name was so stained that Mark’s wife changed her and their two childrens’ to Morgan this year.

“No one wants to hear the truth take care of my family,” Mark wrote to his lawyer in an email sent shortly before the end. His 2-year-old son was sleeping in the next room.

A Madoff Son Hangs Himself on Father’s Arrest Anniversary [NYT]
Disgrace, Lawsuits Drove Madoff to Suicide, Say Associates [ABC]

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