Picture: http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/10/08/first-trial-stemming-from-madoff-fraud-underway/

The accountant who was responsible for some of Bernie Madoff’s richest clients was indicted on charges regarding the fact that he falsified account statement and trading records. It was suggested by US attorney Preet Bharara that Paul Konigsberg “threw aside his ethical duties as an accountant in favour of his role as a false bookkeeper.” Konigsberg  was apparently very vital to Madoff’s fraud, mainly due to the fact that he was in charge of over 300 client accounts. He backdated trades and revised statements, among other things, which allowed Madoff to conceal his fraud. I find it odd that now that it has come to light and is such a big issue in the public eye, how Konigsberg can still argue that he was only a “victim” of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. He was one of the main accountanting execs at the time, and from what I know, accountants require a certain amount of information about the dealings of the company. Obviously Konigsberg was getting a piece of the action and didn’t mind stepping out of the boundaries of fair and honest accounting to get it. He was the only non-family member to hold an ownership interest in Madoff’s investment business, which was most likely the motivation behind his accounting fraud.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/26/konigsberg-madoff-ponzi/2877643/