By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN FEDERAL COURT — Bernie Madoff's longtime secretary — who allegedly made millions by helping the Ponzi schemer rip off clients — is expected to be released Friday after a judge agreed to reduce her bail.
Annette Bongiorno, 62, reportedly wept when federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain agreed to release her from federal custody. Her bail was cut from $5 million to $3 million.
She has until Jan. 14 to post the $3 million bond and to put up property and the signatures of "financially responsible" cosigners as security, prosecutors said.
The secretary, who worked for the crook for about 40 years, is accused of sending out phony account statements to Madoff's defrauded investors. She also altered documents and contributed to the $65 billion scam in other ways, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities believe she withdrew $14 million from Madoff company accounts between 1975 and 2008 for personal use.
She was arrested in November along with Joann Crupi, another Madoff employee charged in connection to the fraud.
Bongiorno took home a salary of more than $600,000 a year and had a collection of luxury cars, including a 2005 Bentley Continental and a 2007 Mercedes Benz, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Her co-defendant, Crupi, allegedly purchased a $2.25 million home on the Jersey shore using stolen cash.
