In a letter filed yesterday in a Manhattan federal court, US Attorney Preet Bharara said Peter Madoff is expected to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and other crimes, as well as falsifying records. He agreed not to seek a sentence other than 10 years in prison.

Madoff, who had been chief compliance officer at Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities, also agreed to a criminal forfeiture of about $143.1 billion. This includes all real and personal property, the letter said. The amount is symbolic, being more than twice the estimated size of the fraud.

The huge fraud has hit a number of financial institutions, including those in the wealth management industry; the scandal has highlighted the need for rigorous due diligence checks on investment managers’ due diligence processes and the kind of claims that money managers make.

Prosecutors have not said whether criminal cases are also being prepared against Bernard Madoff's son, Andrew, who was co-director of trading, or his niece, Shana, who was a compliance officer at the firm. Both are being sued by Irving Picard, the trustee seeking money for the Ponzi scheme's victims. He has filed a $255 million lawsuit against them and other Madoff family members.