The Bernard Madoff tragedy just got more tragic: The Associated Press reports that the founder of a Manhattan hedge fund that invested with Mr. Madoff has been found dead in his office. A French newspaper has reported that the cause of death was suicide.The news of Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet's death, and the Madoff connection is making headlines today. He was 65-years-old and married without children. A founder of the Access International Advisors fund, he had reportedly plowed $2.1 billion into Madoff's scheme.
A friend told AFP that for Villehuchet, "Access (International Advisors) was his whole life, and Madoff was a manager in whom he had complete trust. I lunched with him two weeks ago and he said, how lucky it was that Madoff was the only manager still doing well at the moment."
Suicide and fraud have been linked in past scandals as well. Shortly after the collapse of Enron, former high-level executive Cliff Baxter shot himself and left a note for his wife that read "Carol, I am so sorry for this. I feel I just can't go on. I have always tried to do the right thing but where there was once great pride now it's gone. I love you and the children so much. I just can't be any good to you or myself. The pain is overwhelming. Please try to forgive me. Cliff"



