Jeffry Picower "Madoff Bllionaires" Found Dead in the Pool

The man who made $7 billion in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, Jeffry Picower, was found dead in his Palm Beach, Fla., swimming pool Sunday.

The Palm Beach Fire Department told ABC News that Picower had no pulse when fire rescue workers arrived at his oceanfront mansion after his wife called 911. She and his housekeeper pulled his body from the pool shortly after noon.

No one benefited more from the Madoff scheme that Picower, according to bankruptcy lawyers who sued him and alleged he had taken out $7 billion more than he had put in.

Click here to go behind the scenes of Brian Ross' investigation into Bernie and Ruth Madoff.

Investigators told ABC News.com that Picower would also have likely faced criminal charges.

Some investigators considered Picower to have been the actual mastermind of Madoff's massive con, or at least an equal "partner in crime."

"He made 30 times what Madoff did from the scam and about a third of the missing money went to Picower," said one of the investigators on the case Sunday.

Police said they did not yet know the cause of death.

"They need to do a full autopsy and set of toxicology tests," the investigator said.

Picower's attorney, William D. Zabel, told ABC News.com that Picower's death came as a total surprise to his family.

"This is a personal tragedy and the family is in deep grieving," Zabel said.

source: abcnews.com