[DB]

Most of the $50 billion was likely paid out as dividends/interest over the years to the earlier “investors”. That's how pyramid schemes work. The high “returns” attract more investors that in turn provides more money for more high returns...

[EQAndyBuzz]

Here is the 1 year stimulus package.

1) Give each American 1 million dollars.
2) Get rid of all taxes for 1 year.

Heck, steal the gold reserves of every dictatorship as a hedge against the inflation. Chavez and Achmadinijhad will have kittens.

[jsh3180]

I believe the tally of CURRENT losses is $50 billion, likely more by the time the final accounting is done. Lots of the firms/individuals had been with Madoff for years and years. If your scenario is correct, the paying out of an average 10% return over twenty years, culminating in a $50 Billion loss, means that he has gone through over one $Trillion in his years running this scam. The paid off investors were receiving regular distributions for years, so the total $$$ run through the scam is a magnitude larger than $50 Billion. I’m guessing One $Trillion above, but that’s probably low, under your scenario.
And he did all that with just he and his wife cooking the books?

Nahh, something stinks to high heaven here.