Madoff secretary believes he's silent to protect others

[May 06, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Bernard Madoff's longtime secretary says she believes the disgraced financier is not cooperating with authorities to protect others.

Eleanor Squillari, Madoff's secretary of more than 20 years, says in an article she co-wrote for Vanity Fair that she helped the FBI gather evidence against him.

Squillari told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday that she thinks her former boss carefully orchestrated his arrest and that he's protecting others who might have been involved in his multibillion dollar scheme by not cooperating with investigators. She declined to speculate as to whom he might be protecting.

The 59-year-old Squillari says her married former boss was flirtatious, made sexually suggestive remarks and frequented massage parlors.

[Associated Press]

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