Madoff's $50 Billion Swindle leaves Victims Around the World

ABC News' Joel Siegel reports: The scope of Bernie Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme is becoming clearer, and it's enormous. Newspapers and Web sites from around the world today are filled with stories about new victims.

In South Korea, institutional investors may have lost $100 million. French bank BNP Paribas, Tokyo-based Nomura Holdings and Zurich's Neue Privat Bank also suffered losses.

Spanish newspapers reported that a fund run by leading bank Santander was heavily exposed and that investors in Spain risk losing about $3 billion. And Swiss bankers face losses of up to $5 billion.

Among the boldface names who have lost money are Kay Windsor women's apparel founder Carl Shapiro, who lost $150 million to $400 million; and Nine West founder Jerome Fisher, who lost $150 million, the New York Post reports. Sen. Frank Lautenberg's office has confirmed he had an account with Madoff, and reportedly so did a former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Irwin Kellner, the chief economist of MarketWatch.com, already has filed a lawsuit, claiming a $3 million loss.

The New York Times quotes associates of Mets owner Fred Wilpon as worrying that Wilpon's losses might affect the operation of the team -- though Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball's president and chief operating officer, told The Times despite Wilpon's losses, baseball officials "expect it to be business as usual" for the Mets.

“Any fraud that has been committed against Fred is something of deep distress to all of us and we feel very badly about the entire matter, but we all believe that this will not affect the team,” DuPuy said.

Less well-heeled people lost money, too. The New York Daily News has the story of a retired carpet salesman and his wife from Long Island, N.Y. and Boynton Beach, Fla., whose life savings of nearly $1 million is gone. more