Jury selection begins in NY fraud trial of 5 former employees of imprisoned Bernard Madoff

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Five ex-employees of imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff were introduced to 200 prospective jurors as jury selection began in their New York fraud trial.

Each of the solemn-looking defendants turned toward the crowd as their names were announced Tuesday by federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain.

The judge said she wanted a dozen jurors who could be fair and impartial regardless of their own experience with securities and law enforcement.

The trial is the first to result from the December 2008 collapse of Madoff’s private investment business, which cost thousands of investors nearly $20 billion in the multi-decade scam.

The prospective jurors were told that the names that may arise at trial included filmmaker Steven Spielberg, retired pitcher Sandy Koufax, actor Kevin Bacon and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.