Bernie Madoff whistleblower to speak at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Harry Markopolos, who gained fame for alerting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the Bernie Madoff fraud, will speak at Purdue University on Thursday (April 22) as part of the Purdue Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics.
The 7 p.m. talk, in the Purdue Memorial Union's South Ballroom, is free and open to the public. It is presented by Krannert School of Management and the College of Education's James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship.
Markopolos has been profiled on "60 Minutes" and in the Wall Street Journal for his role in the Madoff case. He wrote a book about the experience, "No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller," and will sign copies of the book after his presentation.
Madoff is serving a 150-year sentence after pleading guilty to a $65 billion investment fraud that bilked thousands of investors worldwide.
Markopolos, a native of Erie, Pa., has a master's degree in finance from Boston College. After a career in the military, he earned a chartered financial analyst's designation in 1996 and a certified fraud examiner's designation in 2008.
He was an assistant portfolio manager for Darien Capital Management in Greenwich, Conn., for three years before becoming an equity derivatives portfolio manager at Rampart Investment Management Co. in Boston. He left the industry in 2004 to devote his full time to fraud investigations against Fortune 500 companies in the financial services and health-care industries. He brings fraud cases to the U.S. Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service under existing whistleblower bounty programs.
The Madoff investigation, which he started in early 2000, was his first fraud case. Markopoulos testified before Congress that the SEC ignored his warnings about Madoff's fraud for years. In March 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts, admitting that he turned his investment business into a Ponzi scheme.
The Purdue Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics began in 2003. Speakers chosen from a variety of disciplines discuss business ethics and the role citizens play in corporate ethics, providing an overview of the impact of corporate ethics on business, the economy and society as a whole.
Markopolos' talk is sponsored by the Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, Karl and Kathy Krapek, and the Chrysler Foundation. Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Source: Tim Newton, Krannert School director of external relations and communication, 765-496-7271, tnewton@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Reporters interested in interviewing Harry Markopolos should contact Tim Newton at 765-496-7271, tnewton@purdue.edu