In December 2008, Bernard "Bernie" Madoff, a leading Wall Street figure and former chairman of the NASDAQ Stock Market, dropped the bombshell: for years he'd bilked thousands of investors worldwide to the tune of $50 billion. In the first comprehensive account of this epic scandal, Peter Sander traces Madoff's rise from unremarkable Jewish schoolboy to Wall Street trader, from money maker to money manager. His narrative examines how Madoff built his brand, how he infiltrated influential circles, and how the scheme came unraveled--P. [4] of cover.