“SONJA KOHN – ‘THE BRAINS’ BEHIND PARTNER BERNARD MARDOFF”

FROM THE -
JOURNALS of Monte Friesner ~ Saturday December 11, 2010 >

Financial Crime Consultant for WANTED SA >

WANTED SA has learned this morning that Sonja Kohn Was Madoff 'Soul Mate'

Bernie Madoff found the perfect partner in crime with Austrian banker Sonja Kohn, says Irving Picard, who is seeking to recover funds stolen in the epic Ponzi scheme. Now Picard, the trustee of the Madoff estate, wants her to fork over $19.6 billion.

Kohn, 62, actually bears more than a passing resemblance to Madoff in a red fright wig, jeweled spectacles, and fire-engine red lipstick. Picard, who has sued numerous banks in recent weeks as a two-year deadline approaches on Saturday, hit Kohn on Friday with the $19.6 billion suit.

Picard, who is charged with recovering as much money as possible from winners in Madoff's Ponzi scheme, says Kohn knew from the start when she joined forces with the now-infamous New York financier 23 years ago that the enterprise was a fraud, raising funds in U.S. and European financial centers to keep Madoff's machine running with a critical steady stream of fresh cash, without which a Ponzi scheme instantly dies.

Picard focused on her ability to innovate—in the world of crime.

“In Sonja Kohn, Madoff found a criminal soul mate, whose greed and dishonest inventiveness equaled his own,” he wrote.