Comparing Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried Across Four Decades

Authors

• Sean Cleary, St. John Fisher University

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Keywords

fsc2026

Abstract

The financial crimes of Sam Bankman-Fried and Bernie Madoff show how fraud has changed from traditional schemes to the digital age over the last forty years. While Madoff spent decades hiding a fake investment firm through paper records, Bankman-Fried’s real crypto empire collapsed in just a few years due to the transparency and speed of the internet. They both built "cults of personality" to gain trust, but they both secretly misused billions of dollars that belonged to their clients. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme eventually failed during a global recession, whereas Bankman-Fried’s embezzlement was exposed almost instantly by social media and a market panic. Ultimately, Bankman-Fried’s 25-year sentence in 2024 proves that while technology changes the speed of the crime, the consequence for abusing public trust remains the same.

Comments

Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.

Publication Information

Cleary, Sean, "Comparing Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried Across Four Decades" (2026). Fisher Showcase 2026. Paper 198.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/fsc2026/198

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