The Madoff You Never Met

Aside from that one monumental confession, Bernie Madoff's been mum about his $65 billion Ponzi scheme. Others, however, are piping up -- about him.

A lengthy report from Fortune relies heavily on interviews with various Madoff employees, who provide details of the disagraced money manager's peculiar personality. Some of the story's (all alleged) revelations:

• Madoff didn't use email. His computer was set up only to provide him with financial news.
• He had a two-foot sculpture of a screw behind his desk, which he personally dusted and polished (there's a joke in here somewhere).
• He was a neat freak, even bending down in the lobby of his building in a tailored suit to perfectly align the rugs on the floor.
• He was obsessed with symmetry. When Madoff was in the office, all window blinds had to be set at exactly the same height and all computer screens had to be arrayed at the same angle and position.
• Everything in the office had to be either black or grey -- even pushpins in employees' cubicles.
• Madoff was a "locker guard" (basically, a hall monitor) in high school, and he and his wife were sweethearts beginning around eighth grade. Wonder if she knew what he was up to?
• He was once a victim of fraud -- he lost $85,000 to con artist Jack Dick in the 1960s.

It also claims that one Madoff employee, Frank DiPascali -- described in the story as a 33-year veteran of the firm with just a high-school education -- is trying to negotiate a plea deal with federal prosecutors in which, in exchange for a reduced sentence, he would divulge his knowledge of Madoff's scheme.

I imagine he has some interesting stories to tell.