A former accountant for Bernie Madoff who pleaded guilty to rubber- stamping the Ponzi villain’s fake books to fool the IRS and state auditors told a Manhattan jury on Tuesday that he had plenty of help from Madoff’s ex-operations chief.
Accountant David FriehÂling pointed a finger at Daniel Bonventre, one of five ex-Madoff staffers on trial in Manhattan federal court for allegedly profiting from the epic fraud.
He told jurors how Bonventre routinely supplied him — under Madoff’s directive — with falsified general ledgers and gross- receipt numbers so that he could provide state and federal auditors with fake earnings.
For instance, Friehling used the false information to tell auditors Madoff’s company reported $1.1 million in losses for 2002 when it actually saw a $27 million profit.
Friehling, who pleaded guilty in 2009, also testified that he, his children and many other family members lost $4.3 million investing with Madoff.