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His victims included the updated article famous – film director Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Weisel – as well as ordinary investors.

Madoff said he started the fraud, in which he appeared to deliver steady returns to clients, but was actually using money from new investors to pay off existing shareholders, in the 1990s because he felt “compelled” to give investors solid returns despite the recession and weak stock market. (Prosecutors contend he started defrauding investors much earlier).

“When I began the Ponzi scheme, I believed it would end shortly and I would be able to extricate myself and my clients,” Madoff told the judge at his plea hearing. “However, this proved difficult, and ultimately impossible, and as the years went by, I realized that my arrest and this day would inevitably come.”

Prior to his downfall, Madoff was viewed as a self-made and respected figure among financial professionals as the head of the seemingly successful Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities firm. He also served as the chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market in 1990, 1991 and 1993.

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En esta imagen de archivo, tomada el 26 de enero de 2021, la jefa ejecutiva de Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, escucha las preguntas de reporteros durante una conferencia de prensa en Hong Kong. (AP Foto/Vincent Yu, archivo) (Vincent Yu)

The Federation of All India Medical Association, meanwhile, also wrote to the Prime Minister on Thursday requesting that journalists be treated as frontline workers.

“Journalists cannot work from home, and have put their lives and health at risk on a daily basis to cover both the Covid-19 pandemic and other matters of public concern, including matters critical to health and safety of the public and critical to our democracy… While others have the option to walk away from large crowds, or to avoid members of the public that don’t follow ICMR health guidelines, these journalists repeatedly put their own safety at risk to document what is occurring and inform their communities – large and small. As a result, we have seen journalists become infected, hospitalised and even, unfortunately, succumb to Covid-19,” FAIMA wrote.