2021年经济学人 华尔街巨骗伯纳德·麦道夫在狱中去世(3)

Inspectors¹ seldom got suspicious, however, because they liked and trusted him. He had not spent a third of his time in Washington in the late 1980s and early 1990s, cosying up to the Securities and Exchange Commission, for nothing.

事实却是，检查人员很少起疑，因为他们喜欢他，信任他。上世纪80年代末和90年代初，他有三分之一的时间都在华盛顿度过，在此期间，他向美国证券交易委员会(SEC)大献殷勤。

In 1992 the SEC found out that two accountants from his father-in-law’s firm had channelled $440m to him since 1962, offering clients annual returns of up to 20%, but not registering the notes they issued with the SEC as the law required.

1992年，美国证券交易委员会发现，自1962年以来，他岳父公司的两名会计师向他提供了4.4亿美元的资金，他们向客户提供高达20%的年回报率，但没有按照法律要求向美国证券交易委员会缴纳他们发行的票据。

He returned the money (taking it from one of his largest investor’s accounts), and the regulators left him alone.

麦道夫把(从最大的投资者之一的账户里拿的)钱还了回去，监管机构也就睁一只眼闭一只眼。

Sometimes they even asked his advice on market operations. So when the financial press in the early 2000s began to smell something rotten in his secret system, regulators still trusted him entirely². Five inspections³ brought up nothing alarming.

有时监管人员甚至向他请教市场运作方面的建议。因此，21世纪初，当金融媒体开始意识到他的“机密体系”有些“不对劲”时，监管机构仍然完全信任他。五次的检查都没有发现令人担忧的问题。

It took the financial meltdown of 2008 to expose him. Suddenly he had more than $12bn to find for investors⁴ withdrawing their funds in panic, and he could not cover it.

2008年的金融危机让他原形毕露。突然间，他需要120多亿美元的资金，好让恐慌的投资者们撤出资金，而他无法支付这笔资金。

In December he confessed to his two sons, who worked for him, that it was all just one big lie.

12月，他向为他工作的两个儿子坦诚，这只是一场惊世骗局。

Then, while he took the staff out for a party at a Mexican restaurant, the family lawyer called the regulators in. His sons, who both died before him, were never reconciled with him.

然后，当他带员工前往墨西哥餐厅参加派对时，家庭律师把监管机构叫了过来。先于他去世的两个儿子终生未跟他和解。

1 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会