Shana Madoff Shana Madoff Shana Diane Madoff, sometimes referred to as Shana Madoff Skoller Swanson, (born December 8, 1967) is an American attorney who is now a yoga teacher. She is the daughter of Peter Madoff, and a niece of Bernard Madoff, who employed her as a compliance officer and attorney at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities (BLMIS) from 1995 until 2008. In December 2008 BLMIS was discovered to be a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, and closed as part of the Madoff investment scandal. Her uncle Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for the scheme, and her father, who
Ponzi scheme cash flows as investors cannot transfer money. If a few investors do wish to withdraw their money in accordance with the terms allowed, their requests are usually promptly processed, which gives the illusion to all other investors that the fund is solvent and financially sound. Ponzi schemes sometimes begin as legitimate investment vehicles, such as hedge funds that can easily degenerate into a Ponzi-type scheme if they unexpectedly lose money or fail to legitimately earn the returns expected. The operators fabricate false returns or produce fraudulent audit reports instead of admitting their failure to meet expectations, and the operation is