Spouse(s) Pamela Chais | Name Stanley Chais | |
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Occupation Investment advisor, philanthropist Died September 26, 2010, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States | ||
Stanley Chais (March 27, 1926 – September 26, 2010) was an American investment advisor and philanthropist who operated "feeder funds" which collected money for funds related to the Madoff investment scandal.
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Early life
Stanley Chais was born on March 27, 1926 in Bronx, New York.
Involvement in Madoff's Ponzi scheme
Chais operated three funds that offered returns of up to 25%. He told clients that he achieved the returns using a complex combination of derivatives, stock, currency and futures trading. Instead, the funds were merely funneled into Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
On May 1, 2009 Irving Picard, bankruptcy trustee for Madoff Securities, filed a lawsuit against Stanley Chais. The complaint alleges he "knew or should have known" he was deep in a Ponzi scheme when his family investments with Madoff averaged 40% and sometimes soared as high as 300%. It also claims Chais was a primary beneficiary of the scheme for at least 30 years, allowing his family to withdraw more than $1 billion from their accounts since 1995 - money that belonged to Madoff victims. The case number is Picard v. Chais, 09-01172. On June 22, 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges against Chais. On September 23, 2009, California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit against Chais seeking $25 million in penalties and restitution for victims.
Philanthropy
Chais founded the Chais Family Foundation, which donated extensively to organizations that preserve and further Jewish history and culture, from reestablishing and maintaining Jewish culture in areas where it was diminished by the Holocaust and by Soviet policy, to Israeli organizations. "In Israel, Chais sat on the boards of Technion, Weizmann Institute and Hebrew University of Jerusalem." The foundation, which had been funded through the Madoff scam, collapsed in December 2008.
Personal life
He was married to Pamela Chais, a playwright and screenwriter. They resided in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. After the scandal, they moved to Manhattan.
Death
He died on September 26, 2010 at age 84 in Manhattan, where he and his wife had moved to further the treatment of a blood disorder that eventually took his life.