From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Harry M. Markopolos (born October 22, 1956) is an independent financial fraud investigator for institutional investors and others seeking forensic accounting expertise. He has received public acclaim for uncovering evidence over a period of nine years that Bernard Madoff's wealth management business was actually a massive Ponzi scheme. Madoff was ultimately sentenced to 150 years in prison after admitting to operating the biggest Ponzi scheme