The email tirade — six e-mails in all — follows comments this week by court-appointed trustee Irving Picard, who revealed to CNBC Tuesday that he will seek court approval for another distribution of funds to Madoff victims. That would bring the total payout to more than $5 billion, out of more than $9 billion recovered so far. But Picard said his success is no thanks to Madoff.

"In my view, he has not been helpful," Picard said.

(Read More: Money to Be Returned to Madoff Investors Tops $5 Billion)



That set off Madoff.

"This is a man that keeps making statements that have no facts to back them up," Madoff wrote. "I wish I went to trial and he would have been required to provide the evidence he claims he has. As you can see, I am frustrated."

Madoff claims his efforts behind the scenes are the reason so much money — more than half his clients' initial investments — has been recovered, and why ultimately all of the $17.5 billion in lost principal could ultimately be paid back.

"From the day of my arrest I offered to assist in recovering the investment principal of my customers. I stated that I was confident that I would be able to convince those parties that were complicit in creating my financial problems, to return the money they withdrew from the investment advisory side of my firm. Those parties were well aware of the incriminating evidence I possessed about their complicit activity and wisely came forward with settlements. It was my belief that it was more important to use the evidence I had to pressure the complicit parties to settle, rather than to use this information for a lesser prison sentence for myself. As remorseful as I am for the pain and suffering I have shamefully caused, I take some comfort in the fact that my assistance will in fact accomplish what I have originally claimed, that with my assistance all of my customers will recover their original investment principal."

(Read More: Scam of the Century: Bernie Maddof's Crime and Punishment)



The largest settlement so far — and the lion's share of the funds recovered for investors—has come from one person: Florida billionaire Jeffry Picower — Madoff's largest client — who died of a heart attack soon after the fraud came to life. Picower's estate turned over $7.2 billion to be distributed to Madoff's other investors, and Madoff claims he is the reason why.

"When I spoke to Picower prior to his death," Madoff wrote, "I made it very clear I would testify about the role of him and ... [others]."