Bernard Madoff Brother Peter Released From U.S. Custody

Peter Madoff, brother and longtime chief compliance officer of convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, was released on Thursday from federal custody after serving most of a 10-year sentence.

His brother’s “sham compliance program” allowed Bernie Madoff to defraud investors of $19 billion in the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, a judge said at Peter Madoff’s 2012 sentencing. Though he helped run the firm for four decades, Madoff denied knowing it was a scam until just before it collapsed. He admitted helping his brother dole out the firm’s last $300 million to insiders after he learned of the fraud.