Ruth Madoff, wife of disgraced financier Bernard L. Madoff, says the couple attempted suicide on Christmas Eve 2008, shortly after he confessed to running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. "We were both so saddened by everything that had happened," Ruth Madoff said in an interview with The New York Times. "It was unthinkable to me: hate mail, phone calls, lawyers." Diana Henriques, reporter for The New York Times and author of the Madoff book, "The Wizard of Lies," interviewed Ruth Madoff, and tells The Takeaway what they discussed.

Hard to believe, but it's been one year since Ponzi scheme 'mastermind' Bernie Madoff was arrested for scamming over $50 billion from investors. We thought it'd be the perfect time to check in and see how Madoff's victims and associates are doing, one year after his arrest. Aaron Lucchetti is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal whose latest article says the Madoff sons are having an incredibly hard time finding themsleves new jobs. Cynthia Crane was one of Madoff's many victims; she decided to adapt her story for the theatre in a show titled, "John Denver, Bernie Madoff, and Me."

S.E.C. Inspector General David Kotz released a report stating that the agency had missed numerous opportunities to bust Bernie Madoff and his 16-year Ponzi scheme. Madoff's scam cost investors billions of dollars, shuffling money away from retirement funds, charitable donations, and trusts. Madoff is currently serving a 150-year sentence for his crimes, but what can the S.E.C. do to redeem themselves? We talk to David Scheer, S.E.C. reporter for Bloomberg News.

While newspapers and magazines have lined their pages with details of Bernie Madoff's deceit, the literary world is still trying to cash in on the embezzlement drama. The sixth book on the life and times of the convicted Ponzi schemer hits bookstores today.

The book was penned by Sheryl Weinstein, former CEO of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and one of Madoff’s investors. We speak to Motoko Rich, who covers the publishing industry for The New York Times, along with author and journalist Erin Arvedlund, whose book “Too Good to be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff” just came out this month.

Bernie Madoff was sentenced yesterday to the maximum term of 150 years, but what happens to any remaining wealth, and what can his victims do to get some of their money back? Diana Henriques, a senior financial writer for The New York Times has been following this story and joins The Takeaway.

Bernie Madoff could spend the rest of his life in prison after his sentencing this morning. Joining The Takeaway are two victims who were financially wiped out by Madoff: Carol Baer, the owner of Popover Café in New York City, and Cynthia Crane, a Cabaret singer.

When comedian Andy Borowitz read that Bernard Madoff’s relatives were looking for a guide to help Bernie survive life in prison, he jumped at the chance to help the disgraced billionaire. He wrote a book called “Who Moved My Soap: The CEO’s Guide to Surviving in Prison.” Borowitz joins The Takeaway with a few helpful hints for Madoff’s time on the inside.

In this week's agenda segment: U.S. troops pull out of key Iraqi towns and cities, Bernie Madoff is sentenced to prison, the Supreme Court holds its last session before break and monthly unemployment numbers are out. For analysis, The Takeaway talks to Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor of The New York Times and Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic Correspondent for the BBC.

At this point everyone has heard of disgraced financier Bernie Madoff, but the name J. Ezra Merkin may still be unknown. That is about to change. In a lawsuit filed Monday by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, it is alleged that Mr. Merkin convinced his clients to invest with him and then funneled all their money into Madoff's scheme. Mr. Merkin's private clients lost over $2 billion in the collapse of Madoff's Ponzi scheme and most did not realize they had ever invested with him. New York Times reporter Diana Henriques is covering the story and she joins us now with the details on these new "feeder fund" lawsuits.

For more, read Diana B. Henriques' article, Cuomo Sues Over Madoff Investments in today's New York Times.

The man who committed perhaps the largest fraud in the history of Wall Street could now spend the rest of his life in prison. Bernard L. Madoff will likely plead guilty tomorrow to all the criminal charges filed against him by federal prosecutors. After nearly 20 years of running a Ponzi scheme that consumed billions of dollars of other people's money, those spurned want their day in court. The Takeaway talks to Diana Henriques, New York Times senior financial writer about the new details that have emerged in the case and what victims want.
For more, read her article Madoff Will Plead Guilty; Faces Life for Vast Swindle in the New York Times.

The House Financial Services committee met yesterday to hear testimony to determine whether regulators could have caught on to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme before he bilked investors out of billions of dollars. Some say that the Securities Exchange Commission may have known what Madoff was up to long before the disgraced investor’s stunning admission of guilt. Stephen Harbeck from Security Investor Protection Corporation, who was among the witnesses who testified yesterday, joins the discussion.

What lessons have investors learned from Bernie Madoff? And what repercussions are still to come in the largest Ponzi scheme in history? Diana Henriques is the senior financial writer for the New York Times. She talks with John and Adaora about the state of the disgrace, the global finance markets, and how one gets away with global fraud.