For a number of years, he played a key part in the daily operation of the Madoff investment scandal, later recounting how he helped manipulate billions of dollars in account statements so clients would believe that they were creating wealth for them.

DiPascali grew up next door to Annette Bongiorno, Madoff's longtime assistant, in Queens' Howard Beach neighborhood.

[6] DiPascali graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York, in 1974, and joined Madoff's firm in 1975, ultimately rising to be CFO.

DiPascali and his wife, JoAnne, lived in a five-bedroom house, with a pool, on seven acres in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, assessed at $1.38 million.

[8][9][10] Financial journalist and Madoff biographer Erin Arvedlund describes DiPascali as an abrasive man who padded his resume.

Prosecutors have asked at least three employees, Eric Lipkin, JoAnn Crupi, and Robert Cardile, DiPascali's brother-in-law, about his role in the firm.

[17] By this time, banks had all but stopped lending, and Madoff knew he could not hope to borrow enough money to meet that month's upcoming redemptions.

[24] At a bail hearing on October 28, 2009, Sullivan deferred a decision pending more information, though he added that he still had reason to believe DiPascali might flee to avoid the prospect of dying in prison.

[25] In February 2010, Sullivan approved a bail package that required DiPascali to post $10 million bond secured by nine friends and relatives.

DiPascali was finally able to post bond on June 22, 2010; he was then released on house arrest and required to wear an ankle monitor.

With his help, prosecutors were able to reconstruct the details of the massive fraud, recover billions of dollars in assets, and convict 15 others involved in the scandal.

[9] Notably, he was the star witness when Bongiorno and four others stood trial for knowingly helping Madoff and profiting from the Ponzi scheme.