The Ladies Of Bernard Madoff Get Their Government Close-up

According to prosecutors, Annette Bongiorno and Joann Crupi were veteran employees of Bernard Madoff’s investment operation and illegally aided the convicted felon in his operation of a multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme. Both women were indicted last month on federal felony charges for their alleged role in Madoff’s fraud operation.

Bongiorno, 62, spent more than 40 years at Madoff’s side, while the 49-year-old Crupi worked with the felon for 27 years. Both women became wealthy during their Madoff tenures, fortunes that investigators contend were the fruit of an epic financial crime.

Bongiorno (left) and Crupi are pictured above in United States Marshals Service mug shots (click to enlarge) taken after FBI agents arrested the suspects at their respective posh homes. Referring to the pair’s alleged contribution to Madoff’s criminal enterprise, prosecutor Preet Bharara noted that, “A house of cards is almost never built by one lone architect.”