Richard Dreyfuss on Playing Bernie Madoff
Transcript for Bernie Madoff: After the Fall Part 3
Reporter: High in his penthouse apartment under house arrest, Bernie Madoff was barricaded from the press and isolated. Both his sons cut off contact with their father, as Stephanie told us in 2011. He was so furious with Bernie that he didn"t want to talk to him ever again. Reporter: And when Ruth decided to stick by her husband, that loyalty was a betrayal to mark. He was very conflicted when it came to his mom. He couldn"t bring himself to see her, because he couldn"t understand how she could -- continuously stand by this man who ruined so many lives. Reporter: His bewilderment only grew when a bizarre gift arrived. A large envelope addressed by Ruth with no return address. He just puts his head down, and he just starts to cry. He"s like, "They"re all my father"s watches." And in the envelope were about 11 to 13 of Bernie"s super-fancy watches. And then, he said, look what you got. And it"s this five-foot long diamond chain necklace. Reporter: The package contained over $1 million in jewelry sent, uninsured, by regular mail. They immediately turned it over to the authorities. Again, Bernie and Ruth were putting us in jeopardy. Reporter: On the day Bernie got sentenced, mark refused to watch the news. Mark said, you know, that"s what he should get. He destroyed, you know, our family. He should go to jail for the rest of his life. Reporter: Even behind bars, he was still filled with bravado, writing to Stephanie about his life in prison. As you can imagine, I am quite the celebrity, and am treated like a mafia don. They call me either uncle Bernie or Mr. Madoff. I can"t walk anywhere without someone shouting their greetings and encouragement, to keep my spirit up. Reporter: When Stephanie read that letter, she was outraged by his hubris. Smoking p****d, and sick to my stomach. Reporter: As for mark, he was trying to find work, but the Madoff name was toxic on wall Street. Nobody wanted any part of him, and that was very hurtful to him, because these were guys who had looked up to him and respected him. Reporter: After months of struggling with anxiety and depression, he tried to commit suicide, leaving these bitter words for his father -- Now you know how you have destroyed the lives of your sons by your life of deceit. Reporter: That failed suicide attempt was a turning point for mark and Stephanie. We made a commitment to each other again. This was not going to rule our lives anymore. Reporter: For awhile, it seemed that life was slowly going back to Normal. Stephanie, now a mother of two, was studying to become a family counselor. Mark got a job working for a real estate newsletter. He would come home from work every day happy. And I -- you know, it was the mark I knew. I was getting him back, you know? He wasn"t being brought down by all this c**p that had been thrown his way. Reporter: But on the second anniversary of the arrest, a devastating turn. Stephanie was on a trip with her mother and 4-year-old daughter. I got a text from mark saying that the trustee had just sued my 4 and1/2-year-old daughter for $11,000 that Bernie and Ruth had gifted her. And I just, I was furious for that moment being ruined again for me yet again by what Bernie Madoff had done. Reporter: Mark was completely unhinged by the lawsuit. I saw my husband fall down that same rabbit hole again. I texted him, enough, like, enough of this. You have to stop letting them beat you up. I can"t take this anymore. Reporter: Neither could mark. And when she woke up the next morning, he had sent her two cryptic e-mails during the night. The first one was, in the subject line, said, "Help." In all caps. And the contents said, "Please send someone to cake of nick." The next one said in the subject line, "I love you." I just knew in my gut that something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. Reporter: The shame of being a Madoff had finally overcome his will to live. With his 2-year-old son, nick, in the next room, he hanged himself from a beam in the apartment. I had such rage. I had such anger, in that moment, such anger at Bernie Madoff. Such anger at Ruth Madoff. And such anger at my husband, at that time, for leaving me. Reporter: Mark left no farewell note for his parents. My husband felt very abandoned by his mom. And he just never got over the fact that she chose Bernie Madoff over her son. Reporter: After mark"s death, Bernie wrote to Stephanie, saying, "I blame myself for everything that has happened and nothing will ever change this." P.s. Stephanie, Ruth has little to live for other than our family. It was very difficult to give me up after a life of 55 years together, which she now has done. I hope you can share each other"s love. So narcissistic. Reporter: The life once brimming with promise on her wedding day was now replaced by bittersweet memories and questions. All those same people out there who think my house was part of his father"s crimes, you know, claim that he killed himself because he must have known something and that couldn"t be further from the truth. My husband"s death was only proof of his pain. Reporter: To protect her children, she changed their family name. Today, Stephanie is no longer a Madoff. I feel sad for him, about all the things he"s missing with nick and Audrey. Every day, they do something that I know he would find hilarious. I will never let it define my two children for the rest of their lives. Have I forgiven yet? No. I hate Bernie Madoff. If I saw Bernie Madoff right now, I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband. And I"d spit in his face.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/bernie-madoff-fall-part-36725145
