The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth

Behind the walls of the house that lies built

After the news broke of Bernie Madoff's arrest on December 11, 2008, the facts were hard to grasp. Madoff claimed to have stolen fifty billion dollars; the sum seemed impossibly large. But of course it wasn't impossible. And that was only the beginning of the story.

As chief investigative correspondent for ABC News, Brian Ross has been on the front lines of the Madoff scandal since the beginning. Throughout the course of his investigation, he and his team have achieved unequaled access to the investigators working to unravel Madoff's fraud, and have succeeded in cultivating sources deep within the walls of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities that no other journalist has reached. Ross was even able to obtain a copy of the contents of Madoff's "little black book."

The result is an unparalleled, fly-on-the-wall view of a life of corrupted luxury and outrageous lies.

Ross chronicles the lavish lifestyle that Bernie and his high-school sweetheart, Ruth, enjoyed as the result of his ill-gotten gains and the bone-deep deceit that shocked the world with its sheer audacity. He details the layers of Madoff's scheme--from money men across the country who made millions convincing clients to entrust their wealth to Madoff, to the fabricated stock trades and false quarterly statements that fooled his victims, many of whom lost their savings, their homes, some of them even their lives, in the wake of Madoff's betrayal.

This is a true-crime drama of Shakespearean proportions, built upon the up-close investigative skills of one of our most respected journalists. The Madoff Chronicles is a vivid and chilling look behind the gilded doors of the greatest financial fraud in history.

Brian Ross is one of our most honored and respected journalists. As ABC News' Chief Investigative Correspondent, he reports extensively for World News with Charles Gibson, Nightline, Good Morning America, and 20/20, as well as for ABC News Radio and "The Blotter" on ABCNews.com. His many distinguished investigations include inquiries into secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe, international nuclear smuggling, and human rights abuses in China, Saipan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He broke the ABSCAM and Mark Foley Congressional page scandals and has led the way in exposing the trail of big money that corrupts Washington. Ross's work has been repeatedly honored with the most prestigious awards in journalism, including six DuPont Awards, five Peabody Awards, five Polk Awards, five awards from the Overseas Press Club, twelve Emmys, and three Edward R. Murrow Awards. Prior to joining ABC News, Ross worked for twenty years at NBC News, reporting for the NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC. He lives in New York and Connecticut.