Learning from Bernie
by Seth E. Lipner
When Bernie made off with billions in dough,
A few skeptical folks claimed “I told you so”.
But most of the people just plain got fooled
And lost all the money that Madoff had pooled
Rich guys, foundations, widows and boards
He got them to invest all that they could afford
His fund was exclusive, it was open to few
When it came to lying, Bernie knew what to do.
He did the trades himself, in the dark of the night
His secret, he claimed, was to time things just right
He was in, he was out, he bought options and stock
No matter the market, his fund was a lock
But it all was one big fraud, it was just a big fake
Billions and billions this devil did take.
While he told everybody how much their wealth grew
He paid old investors with money from new
The investigations, the hearings, they now have begun
Unwinding this fraud is what next must be done
For those victimized in this Ponzi-esque fashion
I hope the Trustee will have some compassion
For now, anyway, the creep’s out on bail
But i can assure you, he’ll soon be in jail
Then the government lawyers will seize all his stuff
But in light of the crime, it seems hardly enough
For 20 long years, lots of folks did he rob.
While the SEC was asleep on the job
So what can we learn from this con-man so evil? --
That crooks can defraud even very bright people.
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©2009 Seth E. Lipner |
