国际英语新闻：Madoff's accountant charged with fraud by U.S. prosecutors

NEW YORK, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Bernard Madoff's longtime accountant David Friehling was charged with fraud as the U.S. prosecutors continued the hunt for others who might have been involved in Madoff's giant Ponzi scheme.

    According to New York Times website, 49-year-old Friehling surrendered to federal authorities and prosecutors on Wednesday morning. He became Madoff's primary auditor in the early 1990s when his father-in-law retired, and he took over the then two-man firm of Friehling & Horowitz.

    Friehling is charged with a six-count criminal complaint, including one each of securities and investment adviser fraud, and four of making false filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission between the early 1990s and the present. He would face up to 105 years in prison if found guilty of the fraud charges.

    Friehling's small accounting office in a nondescript suburban building north of New York City is now closed. Some of Madoff's whistle-blowers have long raised doubts on the tiny accounting firm considering Madoff's massive operations.

    Friehling became the first to be charged since Madoff pleaded guilty last week to 11 felony charges on fraud and was jailed to wait for his sentence in June. It is reported that federal authorities expanded their investigation to Madoff's family members and employees, although Madoff insisted that he had run the fraud all on his own.