Stephanie madoff mack interview
Exclusive: Madoff Widow Blames Bernie for Son's Suicide Attempts, Death
Oct. 19, &#; -- While many lost their fortunes thanks to Bernie Madoff -- the man who orchestrated the largest financial fraud scam in U.S. history – Stephanie Madoff Mack lost her husband. Now, the widow of Mark Madoff, Bernie Madoff's oldest son, is the first inside member of the Madoff family to speak out, divulging the story of the death that she says can be traced directly to Bernie Madoff's unbelievable deception.
In a searing and emotional interview to be broadcast Friday on "20/20," Mack details how a privileged life in one of the richest families in America turned into a living nightmare after Madoff's Ponzi scheme was uncovered.
Stephanie madoff mack interview today The horrific side effects of the diet fizzy drink we ALL love - as doctors warn why you should think twice There is no greater pain Son: Andrew Madoff said he never suspected his financier father of running a Ponzi scheme because he grew up hearing what a legend he was. She doesn't make sense to me.Mack says the ordeal led Mark Madoff to commit suicide last December, on the two-year anniversary of his father's arrest. Mark had first attempted suicide in , Stephanie reveals for the first time.
"He couldn't get out, he was so betrayed and so hurt by Bernie," she said.
"I hate Bernie Madoff," Stephanie said.
"If I saw Bernie Madoff right now, I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband, and I'd spit in his face."
Mack has written a book on her life as a Madoff, "The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life," scheduled for release tomorrow by Blue Rider Press.
Stephanie, then 30, married Mark Madoff, the handsome and wealthy year-old divorced father of two, in October, In attendance at their Nantucket Island wedding were many investors in Bernie Madoff's fraudulent hedge fund.
"He stood there in the corner at my wedding watching everyone dance, and he knew that everyone in that room was going to get screwed," said Mack.
The couple went on to have two children -- a daughter, Audrey, and a son, Nick.
For Mack, marrying into the Madoff clan meant entry to the world of the super rich.
Mark and his brother Andrew headed up a highly successful stock trading operation; just two floors up in the same office building, their father Bernie ran his now-notorious investment fund. He and his wife Ruth lived a high-flying lifestyle with homes in New York City, Montauk, Palm Beach and the south of France.
But in December of , the good times came crashing down for the Madoff family.
Mark and Andrew turned in their own father after he confessed to them that his $65 billion investment fund was actually a Ponzi scheme and that the double-digit returns clients had received year after year were bogus – in fact, Bernie hadn't made a single trade in decades.
Mack said that decision came at a heavy cost to her husband, who had loved and admired his father.
"He was in pure shock, and you could see the betrayal on his face, and in his body," said Mack.
"And he was enraged, as well.
Furious that his father could've done this and, you know, destroyed so many lives, and destroyed his."
Even though he had blown the whistle on his father, Mark Madoff was targeted by angry investors and sued for $65 million he had received from Bernie over his lifetime. His assets were frozen and he and Stephanie were put on a monthly allowance by the bankruptcy court.
Accusations were also leveled that Mark and other family members were in on Bernie Madoff's criminal enterprise.
"We were being treated as if we had done something wrong. And we had done nothing wrong," said Mack.
Mark madoff Bing Site Web Enter search term: Search. She said: 'My family had become his. As Waterman slams Sabrina Carpenter for her 'lazy' sexy stage outfits - a look at the raunchy looks his 80s acts were sporting This Morning viewers gasp 'what am I watching?! She has also revealed that Madoff sent her a letter from prison after her husband, but the details are still under wraps."We felt as if our life had been taken away from us and we kept looking for the nightmare to end."
Mack said the unrelenting scrutiny from the public and media drove her emotionally sensitive husband into a deep depression. He took pills to combat anxiety and insomnia, and became obsessed with every detail of the Madoff scandal.
"He would come home from work every day happy," said Mack.
"He wasn't being brought down by all this crap that had been thrown his way."
But in December of , while Stephanie, her mother and her daughter Audrey were vacationing in Disneyworld, Mark again went into a downward spiral. He learned that his 4-year-old daughter was being sued for $11, gifted to her by Bernie and Ruth and there was a new article in the Wall Street Journal hinting that he could still face criminal charges.
On the morning of Dec.
11 -- two years to the day after his father's arrest -- Stephanie woke to an email from her husband. The subject line of the email was "HELP" while the body of the message said, "Please send someone to take care of Nick," the couple's month-old son. The next email simply read: "I love you." Panicked, Stephanie immediately contacted her stepfather in New York, who found Mark Madoff's dead body hanging from a ceiling beam.
"I think he thought that we would be better off without him," a tearful Mack said.
Stephanie madoff mack interview youtube You took our daughter, her life, her future and everything she could have been. Royalty Send Trump Congratulations. Shameless couple posed as firefighters to get free hotel stay during height of LA wildfire disaster Police release image of man, 53, being hunted over 'murder' of woman in Plymouth - as they warn public he Scientists baffled after discovering Earth has two secret mountains more than times TALLER than Everest Expert warns against popular sleeping position that causes back and neck pain and can even stop you"Which makes me so sad, because that's not the case at all."
Even in death, the whispers and suspicions continue to follow Mark Madoff, with some press accounts suggesting that he killed himself because he was part of his father's crimes. Mack told ABC News that nothing could be further from the truth.
"My husband's death was only proof of his pain," she said.
"My husband was in terrible, terrible pain. He was so deeply hurt by it all, that he just, he, he just couldn't move past it."
With Mark's blessing, Stephanie changed her last name to Mack to spare her family the stigma of that now reviled name.
Stephanie madoff mack interview She has also revealed that Madoff sent her a letter from prison after her husband, but the details are still under wraps. Stunned: Stephanie said she was shocked by some of the things they said, particularly that Andrew said he wasn't surprised by his brother's suicide. Map reveals Homebase branches shutting forever in January as retailer launches huge closing down sale - is Timothee Chalamet carries another Chanel purse out in NYC Emmerdale fans call out glaring continuity error 'ruining' poignant graveyard scene - but can you spot it?Today, her children are healthy and happy and Mack says she intends to keep them that way.
"I will never let it define my two children for the rest of our lives," she said. "The rest of my life is going to be a happy one, and not filled with deceit, and lies, and betrayal, and sorrow and I hold onto that hope."
Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m.
ET.