Bernard Madoff's Deal with the Devil

It was in the nineties when he began. It was a party that he was invited to and he accepted graciously, happy to be able to get away from his work for a change. He could finally escape his children's constant bickering and the everlasting stress of managing wealth that wasn't his. He walked in and he saw many people that he didn't know but knew of. Many rich people were attending this party. Madoff was in fact a fairly greedy man and believed that he deserved the money he saw come into his firm every day. Many days he had spent thinking of the perfect way to try and gain this great wealth but had come up empty several times.

As he looked around the party there was one man in particular that stood out to him. The man was of questionable race, he was dark but Madoff couldn't figure if he was African-American, Native American, or possibly of Middle Eastern descent. The man interested and frightened him. This man wore a black suit with a blood red tie and a black fedora with pinstripes the same color as his tie. Madoff stopped staring at him so he didn't raise suspicion and occupied himself with pouring a drink over ice. Madoff began to turn around to try and catch a glance of the man in black, but found himself face to face with him instead.

"Bernard Madoff I presume," the man said while extending a slender hand out.

Madoff was taken aback but quickly composed himself and shook the man's hand vigorously while saying, "The one and only."

"How is your business coming?" the man asked with interest twinkling in his ice blue eyes.

"It's not doing so well. While my wife and I both have a mind for finance we can't seem to get the money we want."

"What kind of money do you want?" The man asked while a smirk spread across his face.

"I want as much as I can get. No matter what it may take."

"I may be able to help with that. I have many an idea for a man of your mindset."

"I just want to ask before this conversation goes any farther, what is your name?" Madoff asked curiously.

"Devyn Lucifer Satten," the man said while taking a card out of his pocket and handing it to Madoff.

Madoff looked at the card and saw that it had his full name, number, and an address at the bottom. "Where is this address?" Madoff asked.

"Where you will be meeting me tomorrow to speak of this plan to get you the money you deserve. I will give you a night to think it over but I will go ahead and tell you now, it will require illegal actions. You have the night to decide whether or not you will come tomorrow. If you do, meet me there at noon. If you don't, I won't be hurt in the least bit," Devyn said.

"Okay," Madoff said, "I will think it over and get back to you."

Devyn smiled and said, "Auf wiedersehen ," before walking away and melding into the crowd.

Madoff was perplexed by what had just happened, it was as if his pleas had been heard and an angel was sent to grant his wish. He downed his drink in one swallow and decided to quit the party all together and go home. He did just that and within twenty minutes he was home in his bed. He stared at the ceiling pondering what to do, wanting to confide to somebody but not wanting to risk having loose ends. He sat there until he could no longer keep his eyes open and in that strange state of near unconsciousness he made up his mind to keep his business arrangement with Devyn.

When Madoff woke up the next day he felt refreshed and quickly dressed, ate breakfast, and was ready to meet Devyn about thirty minutes before twelve. He called a taxi, climbed in, and gave him the address. When the taxi pulled up Madoff saw that it was a restaurant that they were meeting at. Madoff paid the taxi driver and entered the restaurant looking for Devyn. He didn't see him and looked at his watch seeing that it was 11:55a.m. Madoff took a seat at one of the small two person booths off to the side and ordered coffee for the both of them. As the coffee got there Madoff heard the clock chime twelve and the door to the restaurant swung open to reveal Devyn.

He walked in impeccably dressed in a dark blue dress suit with the same blood red tie on that he had worn the night before. He smiled when he saw Madoff and smiled even wider when he saw the coffee waiting for him on the table. He sat down and greeted Madoff before taking a deep swallow of the black heat that sat in the cup. Madoff lavished his with creamer and sugar until it was a creamy brown. He took a sip and looked to Devyn with a questioning eye to indicate he was ready to listen.

Devyn spoke quietly and longingly as he explained the Ponzi scheme that he wanted Madoff to take under his wing. Madoff's interest grew with every detail that he presented and after three cups of coffee had been delivered to each of them, Devyn was finally finished. Madoff drank the last swallow of coffee in his cup and said, "Devyn, I think I am in love with you."

Devyn smiled and said, "Don't go so far as to love me my friend. I do believe that through this deal that we can become fast friends though. Very fast friends indeed."

"You've given me this scheme that is so perfect that it has no reason to not work, what do you want in return?" Madoff asked warily, bracing for whatever blow was set to come.

"I want nothing. I just want to see you succeed," Devyn said quaintly.

Madoff was astonished that he didn't want anything in return but didn't question him and instead answered with a short, "I will."

"Good. Let's shake on it," Devyn said with a smirk.

Madoff extended his hand and took Devyn's but when he did a short burst of pain shot up his arm and imbedded deep in his chest before disappearing. Madoff didn't let on that something had happened but Devyn seemed to know. "I hope your heart feels better. They are fickle pieces of our anatomy," Devyn said before placing a twenty on the table to cover the bill and tip and walking out.

Madoff simply cast it off as him being able to read people well and went about his business. Madoff started around 1999 and hid it well in the asset management portion of his business that he didn't advertise publicly. He allowed it to spread by hearsay and "anonymous" officials. Soon he was the ring leader of a multi-billion dollar operation that ruined some investors' lives.

He slipped though and put out an advance notice that he would be giving everybody bonuses early, $173 million two months in advance. This after he had been struggling to meet $7 billion in redemption. His sons confronted him and asked him how he could pay out bonuses to his staff but not meet the needs of his clients. Madoff knew he couldn't carry this any farther and confided in them. "I'm finished boys. I have absolutely nothing left. You should know that the investment fund is a scam, a lie. It's a Ponzi scheme proposed to me by a business partner," Madoff said although he hadn't heard from Devyn since that day.

His sons looked uneasy and it turns out that they most certainly weren't. December 10, 2008 they reported their father to federal authorities and the very next day he was arrested and charged with securities fraud. After a few months Madoff quit fighting and on March 12, 2009 he plead guilty to 11 federal felonies. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum. One day as Madoff sat in his cell reading a book he had been given by a guard he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Madoff looked up when they stopped outside of his prison cell and saw a familiar face. "Devyn?" he asked wanting to make sure he was right.

"The one and only. I'm glad to see you here," he said with a cynical smirk.

"Why?" Madoff asked defensively.

"You ruined many people's lives, including your own and your family's. I couldn't have asked for a greater payment then that. Except what obviously belongs to me now," Devyn said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What?!" Madoff said getting up off of the cot.

"I will be seeing you again my friend. Except it will be in different cell. I have one specifically picked out for you."

Madoff could barely summon the will to ask, "W-w-where is that?"

"Hell, don't you know?" Devyn said before walking away with a light chuckle that echoed forever in Madoff's mind.