Madoff's accountant charged with fraud

[n2doc]

David Friehling also accused of filing false reports with the SEC in $65-billion Ponzi scheme.
By Martin Zimmerman
11:23 AM PDT, March 18, 2009

Federal authorities charged financier Bernard Madoff's accountant with securities fraud today, the first person besides Madoff himself to be charged in the $65-billion investment scandal.

In a complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office in New York, David G. Friehling, 49, was charged with securities fraud, aiding an investment advisor fraud and four counts of filing false audit reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a related action, the SEC filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Friehling engaged in securities fraud.

Friehling, who lives in the New York City suburb of Rockland County, was jailed pending a court appearance scheduled for later today at which bail could be set. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 105 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

more:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-madoff19-2009mar19,0,1514106.story

Madoff didn't work alone. I suspect we are going to see more of these secondary characters charged soon....