A former director of operations for Bernard Madoff's firm was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday for his role in helping the imprisoned Ponzi schemer perpetrate the largest financial fraud in history.

Daniel Bonventre, who headed Mr. Madoff's broker-dealer business for almost 40 years, is the first of five former Madoff employees convicted of aiding and hiding the Ponzi scheme facing sentencing this week. In March, a Manhattan federal jury found the 67-year-old guilty of helping Mr. Madoff gin up false books and records.

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