- Since news broke of Bernie Madoff"s world-circling $65 billion Ponzi scheme, many have speculated about how he did it. But no reporter has been able to get the full story - until now. Based on award-winning reporter Diana Henriques" unprecedented access to Madoff, including extensive correspondence and his first interviews for publication since his arrest, Bernie Madoff, The Wizard of Lies is the ultimate true-life financial thriller.