酷兔英语


A federal judge sentenced Peter Madoff to 10 years in prison for his actions as the top compliance officer at his older brother's investment firm Thursday, making him only the second person sent to prison after four years of investigations into the multibillion-dollar fraud.


国一位联邦法官周四判处彼得•马多夫(Peter Madoff) 10年徒刑,原因是他在其兄的投资公司担任最高合规主管时的所作所为。这起规模数十亿美元的欺诈案经过了四年调查后,仅有两名涉案人获刑,彼得•马多夫是第二位。



The sentence was the maximum term faced by the 67-year-old, who had also agreed to forfeit all of his personal assets, including a Ferrari and more than $10 million in cash.


这是现年67岁的彼得•马多夫面临的最高刑期。他还同意上缴自己的全部个人财产,包括一辆法拉利(Ferrari)汽车和逾1,000万美元现金。



The decision by U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain to sentence Peter Madoff to 10 years was widely expected because of a plea deal struck months ago. Even so, friends and relatives sent dozens of letters to Judge Swain in recent months describing Peter Madoff as a decent man, eager to satisfy his chillier older brother and always living in his shadow.


鉴于几个月前达成的一项认罪协议,美国联邦地方法院法官斯温(Laura Taylor Swain)判处彼得•马多夫10年徒刑的裁决是外界普遍预料中的。即便如此,马多夫家的亲戚和朋友近几个月仍数十次致信斯温,说彼得•马多夫是个正派的人,渴望取悦自己更为冷淡的哥哥,一直生活在哥哥的阴影下。



Bernie was 'the brother Peter always wanted to please, the brother who would never really let Peter in, the brother with the power,' according to a letter from Amy Meisler, a longtime friend. 'The door at the office never read Madoff Brothers, or Madoff and Sons, it always read Bernard L. Madoff.'


马多夫家的老友迈斯勒(Amy Meisler)在一封信中说,伯尼是彼得一直想取悦的哥哥,他这个哥哥永远不会真正让彼得参与公司事务,是一位大权在握的哥哥。办公室的门上从来写的都不是"马多夫兄弟公司"或"马多夫父子公司",一直写的是"伯纳德•L.•马多夫公司"(Bernard L. Madoff)。



'They're two different personalities,' said Marvin Weiner, Peter Madoff's brother in law, in an interview.


彼得•马多夫的姐夫韦纳(Marvin Weiner)在接受采访时说,他们是个性完全不同的两个人。



After marrying his high school sweetheart in 1967 and graduating law school three years later, Peter Madoff abandoned his hopes of working at the Securities and Exchange Commission and agreed to Bernie's plan to work at his then-fledgling investment firm, his lawyer said in court documents.


彼得•马多夫的律师在提交给法院的文件中说,彼得•马多夫1967年与高中时代的恋人结婚,三年后从法学院毕业,之后他放弃了自己在美国证券交易委员会(Securities and Exchange Commission,简称:SEC)工作的想法,同意伯尼的计划,在伯尼当时刚刚起步的投资公司工作。



Peter, who worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities for 38 years, was the chief compliance officer and responsible for conducting regular reviews of his brother's firm to ensure it was following all trading rules and submitting reports to regulators, authorities said in court documents.


有关部门在提交给法院的文件中说,彼得在伯纳德•L.•马多夫投资证券公司效力了38年,曾担任公司首席合规长,负责对公司进行定期评估,以确保公司遵守各种交易规定并按时向监管机构提交报告。



In reality, he was doing nothing of the sort, authorities said. Peter Madoff signed off on documents and made false statements to clients and regulators that only made it appear he was performing his compliance duties, authorities said.


有关部门说,实际上这些事情他都没有做。有关部门说,彼得•马多夫在文件上签字,向客户和监管机构提供虚假陈述,只是让他看起来似乎是在履行自己的合规职责。



Peter welcomed the trappings of the job in spite of his second-tier status. He accepted a number of 'fringe benefits' from his brother, including free meals, travel, leased cars, country club memberships, financial gifts for his children and other perks, which he failed to disclose on his tax returns, he said in June as he pleaded guilty to criminal charges. He admitted his wife was given a 'no-show' position at the firm; authorities said she was paid between $100,000 and $160,000 a year.


尽管彼得的地位并不是很高,但他喜欢这份工作带来的实惠。他今年6月对刑事指控认罪时说,他从哥哥那里得到了各种"小恩小惠",包括免费用餐、旅行、租车和俱乐部会籍,以及给自己孩子的现金礼物和其他好处。他没有在退税申报中披露这些所得。他承认公司给了他太太一个虚职;有关部门说,她的年薪为10万至16万美元。



Peter was aware of the job's limitations too. During the June hearing, Peter Madoff told Judge Swain that he never had any financial interest in his brother's firm, and Bernie made it clear he would never be a partner.


彼得也清楚这份工作的局限性。在6月的初审中,他对斯温法官说,他在哥哥的公司中从来都不存在经济利益,伯尼曾明确表示他永远不会成为合伙人。



Peter Madoff agreed, as part of his plea deal, to accept the 10-year sentence recommended under federal guidelines and suggested by prosecutors. But he said he never knew about his brother's Ponzi scheme and discovered that the investment business was a fraud only after his brother told him in December 2008.


作为认罪协议的一部分,彼得•马多夫同意接受根据联邦指导原则建议的、检方提议的10年徒刑。不过他说,他对哥哥的庞氏骗局一直一无所知,在他的哥哥2008年12月告诉他之后,才知道这家投资公司是个骗局。



Several victims of the Ponzi scheme have said they are unconvinced of Peter's professed ignorance of the fraud and said the brother deserved harsher time.


马多夫庞氏骗局的数位受害者说,他们不相信彼得自称的对欺诈案一无所知的说法,他们说他应该被判处更长的刑期。



'Just like Bernard received the maximum, if somewhat symbolic, sentence of 150 years, I ask that you set aside whatever plea arrangement Peter made and impose the maximumsentence possible,' wrote Michael and Emma De Vita ahead of the sentencing. 'We the victims still have not heard one person say, 'I knew and I am sorry.''


迈克尔•德维塔(Michael De Vita)和母亲埃玛•德维塔(Emma De Vita)在判决前写道,和伯纳德被判处标志性的150年最高刑期一样,我请求你们将彼得做出的任何认罪安排放到一边,判处可能的最高刑期。我们这些受害者仍未听到任何一个人说,"我知道情况,我很抱歉。"



Losses from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme are estimated to be $17.3 billion, according to the court-appointed trustee recovering fund for victims, many who have seen their life savings wiped out. About $11 billion has been recovered so far.


据法院指定的为受害者追款的财产保管人说,马多夫庞氏骗局造成的损失估计有173亿美元,很多受害者一辈子的积蓄都化为乌有。目前约有110亿美元已被追回。



Dan Strumpf