Bernie Madoff Killed My Friend
Posted By Randy Jones on February 18, 2009
I do not hate, at least not easily, but I hate Bernard Madoff with every fiber of my being. Obviously, I have plenty of company in that. Anyone who lost his or her fortune in Madoff’s alleged Ponzi scheme no doubt shares this sentiment—the entire Palm Beach Country Club, for starters. I know I should turn the other cheek, but I can’t—sorry, Mom—because this morally bankrupt man caused my friend Thierry de la Villehuchet to commit suicide. Thierry took his life, I believe, because he felt it was the honorable thing to do since the hedge fund firm he headed lost $1.4 billion of its investors’ money by trusting Bernie Madoff.
Thierry was a French nobleman by birth, but he was a noble human being by constitution and sentiment. To me, he was as good a friend as anyone could ever imagine—intelligent, curious, witty, and generous to a fault. I will never forget our many dinners at Amaranth, the quaint French restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where we discussed French naval history, politics, our hopes and dreams for the future, or the trip we took to visit a friend in prison who had made a big mistake. Thierry said, “When your friends are at their lowest point is when a true friend makes the greatest effort.” I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to make my greatest effort for him when he was at his lowest point. But his desperate act was not something I could ever have envisioned. Thierry had a passion for history and a keen sense of the past, but he possessed a near-childlike fascination with the future. He was always looking forward to something—his next business trip, his next sailing race, his next dinner with friends, and certainly his next trip to his beloved family home in Brittany. I will forever see Thierry as the jovial friend who personally picked my wife and me up at the train station in Rennes as we arrived to spend a week with him and his family at his 17th-century chateau (Thierry preferred the term “castle”) in Plouër-sur-Rance, France. It was like a fairy tale. The great house had all the majesty of a bygone era. Sadly, Thierry is now also gone, because of one man—Bernie Madoff.
I can’t help but be struck by how much Thierry loved this patrimony, how pleased he was with its regal beauty and how proud he was that it had been in his family for over 300 years. It was the place he married his beautiful bride, Claudine. It was the place he spent every August. Recently he had lovingly archived the thousands of historical documents dating back to the 17th century that had been stored on the top floor of his home for centuries. These books, letters, articles, and works of art collectively told the story of his family and its role in the rich tapestry of French history. Thierry had also joyfully poured his hard-earned money into the restoration and care of this extraordinary palace. It is palatial in size, but at the same time wonderfully welcoming and oddly homey. The 17th-century floors in our guest bedroom were so slanted it caused my wife and me to roll to one side of the bed. The lighting had not been touched since the Germans took over the great house during World War II as accommodations for Nazi officers. Thierry once said to me, “I hate the Nazis, but I must admit they left the castle better than they found it.” And so, as in so many things, did Thierry.
No one saw through the genius deception of Madoff. No one could penetrate his manipulated statements of sizable returns—certainly not the SEC. And yet, my noble friend couldn’t believe that he had not been so clairvoyant. He took his responsibility just that seriously—just that personally. Thierry de la Villehuchet was born a nobleman. He died a nobleman. Noble is a word that will never be uttered about Bernie Madoff.
Comments