Bernie Madoff, <br />Ponzi Scheme Mastermind, Dead at 82.<br />The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed <br />Madoff's death from natural causes <br />on Wednesday.<br />He had been serving a 150-year prison sentence. <br />He died in the North Carolina Federal Medical Center.<br />The investment fraud orchestrated by <br />Madoff likely exceeded $65 billion.<br />Tens of thousands of people were defrauded, <br />including high-profile investors such <br />as Steven Spielberg and Kevin Bacon.<br />Madoff's fraud likely spanned over four decades <br />until he was turned in by his two sons in 2008.<br />Some investors lost millions <br />due to the scheme.<br />The success of Madoff's pyramid scheme <br />led to massive changes at the <br />Securities and Exchange Commission
