The sister of Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, Sondra Wiener, and her husband Marvin Wiener, have been found dead at their Boynton Beach, Florida home in an apparent murder-suicide, according to a news release from Florida police.
When responding to a 911 call concerning a man and woman who were unresponsive in their home, police discovered the 87-year-old woman and her 90-year-old spouse dead from gunshot wounds on 17 February, according to a Sunday press release by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
“After further investigation, it appears to be a murder/suicide,” stated PBSO.
The cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office, added officials.
The Wieners lived in a 2,938-square-foot home that Palm Beach County online property records show they acquired for $315,000 in December 2009.
Wall Street fraudster Madoff is notorious for having masterminded a $20 billion Ponzi scheme, dubbed the largest financial fraud in history. He originally started his career as a stock trader in the 1960s and subsequently founded the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities firm.
Over decades, Madoff defrauded thousands of investors while amassing a $65 billion fortune using a Ponzi scheme, whereby profits were paid to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors.
In 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 counts including fraud, swindling, money laundering, and embezzlement. He received a 150-year prison sentence.
Despite his lawyers seeking a "compassionate release" in February 2020, arguing that their client suffered from terminal kidney failure and other chronic conditions, the plea for early release was denied.
Madoff died in federal prison on 14 April 2021 at the age of 82.