PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Tragedy has struck the family of the late Bernie Madoff. The sister of the Ponzi scheme artist — along with her husband — have been found dead in a Palm Beach County home.
Palm Beach County deputies said Sondra Wiener, 87, and a 90-year-old man were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds Thursday afternoon inside the Valencia Lakes community west of Boynton Beach.
"I think it's pretty much ended now," retired accountant Richard Rampell said. "Another sad chapter in it, but it's done."
Rampell worked with six of Madoff's victims.
"They were embarrassed by it, frankly," Rampbell said. "A couple of the people who are pretty sophisticated people, financial people, lost a lot of money."
Wiener was the sister of Madoff, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to running a $65 billion Ponzi scheme.
She is reported to have invested in her brother's scheme, receiving about $1.7 million of other people's money before losing millions.
"You know, he had two sons. One committed suicide. The other died of cancer," Rampbell said. "I don't know what happened to his wife Ruth. I've heard that she still lives in the area around here, but she's sort of gone into hiding. She's humiliated."
The investigation is still ongoing.
