The Real Bernie Madoff: Our 7 Years in Prison Together
About this audiobook
The Real Bernie Madoff
Ralph Griffith wrote a book that no one else could have!
Sara Stratso
November 9, 2020
There has been no shortage of books written about Bernie Madoff, but Ralph Griffith’s book stands out above all the rest because the author and Madoff were incarcerated together for seven years.
Bernard Lawrence Madoff, a prominent Wall Street figure, was serving time in North Carolina’s Federal Medical Center in FCI Butner. Madoff, the former chairman of NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Automated Quotations Dealers) had been sentenced for 150 years for an elaborate multi-billion dollars Ponzi scheme targeting investors. Griffith had been doing time because of bank robbery and parole violations. Both had heart conditions and thus were sequestered together in the federal medical facility. Griffith was working in the prison library as the law clerk.
Griffith humorously describes their friendship with; “We spent 7 years living in a 60-man unit. It did not have the square footage of a decent-sized home. As such, we had a lot of idle time on our hands. It does not take a lot of imagination to understand the opportunity that presented itself to me.”
After Griffith writes, “Picture Bernie Madoff sitting in your living room for seven years,” he continues to pen an extremely comprehensive expose of the nefarious dealings of Wall Street. These dealings, according to Madoff, are aided and supported by the federal and state governments in the U.S. and Europe, along with various regulatory agencies. Griffith is fearless in his critique of corporations, politicians, and judges. He is fond of quoting one of Bernie’s favorite sayings, “It’s all a bunch of sh—t!
There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book on page 2 in which Griffith proclaims, “All information about the subjects of this book are controlled by the government and financial services industry. Anyone who should write and expose these truths will never be employed in private, government, or any universities again…”
This in itself is a hook to catch a reader’s interest. This statement certainly caught my attention! An especially important takeaway from this book is that Griffith points out that these villainous practices still continue today.
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About the author
A Life Lived in Ink:
From the Federal Prison System to Saint Petersburg: The Unconventional Path of a Crime Novelist
When asked recently about the background behind my Dmitri Petrov Crime Novels, it made me reflect on my unusual journey. My path to becoming an author is perhaps not what you would expect.
For over three decades, I served two 14-year sentences in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for bank robberies. The federal system is a unique environment, a melting pot of individuals from every corner of the globe. In 2004, as I was beginning my last sentence, I decided it was time for a profound change. I felt a new path calling me, and I believed that as an author, my past would not and should not define my future.
In 2010 I was transferred to Butner, North Carolina. It was a smaller medical facility, and my unit of sixty inmates, and the prison's total population of around six hundred, provided an intimate, and in many ways, an unprecedented classroom. I shared that space for seven years with some truly infamous figures, including Bernie Madoff, Jonathan Pollard, Nicky Scarfo, and Carmine Persico—and that’s only a small glimpse of the experiences I had there.
During those twenty years, I dedicated myself to an intense study of Russian, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Spanish, along with my native English. I would seek out foreign inmates from those countries, intentionally "zoning in" on them to test my language skills. I believe that when you make the effort to learn someone's language, it opens doors to understanding that remain firmly shut otherwise. It was in this unique educational environment that I met a number of Russian vory, or "thieves," in the BOP.
One Thief-in-law at Butner, a man who had his own reputation, was so taken with me that he hired me to ghostwrite his life story. The money he paid me was vital—I saved every penny for my release—but the real value was the education he gave me. What I learned about the inner workings of organized crime in the Russian Federation was more valuable than any textbook could ever be. He would often tell me my Russian was terrible, but he'd add with a laugh, "when you imitate a Russian trying to speak English, you are spot on."
Since my release, that foundation has served me well. I have now published twenty-eight novels across seven different series. But the one that remains closest to my heart is my Dmitri Petrov Crime Novels, which I began in that very unit. Dmitri Petrov is an inspector for the Saint Petersburg Police in the Russian Federation. The first book, Vodka Express, introduces his world, and the second, White Nights, immerses him in the city's famous festival. Red Star is the third, and I am thrilled to announce that the fourth novel in the series, Russian Roulette, is now available.
My journey is proof that inspiration can be found in the most unlikely of places. The lessons I learned—about language, culture, and the complex human beings on all sides of the law—continue to fuel my writing. It's a reminder that every experience, no matter how unconventional, can be a tool to create something new. I am now a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Writers Association in the U.K.
