The accountant for US financier Bernard Madoff has been charged with fraud.



US prosecutors have also charged 49-year-old David Friehling, with aiding and abetting fraud, and four counts of filing false audit reports.



Madoff, who pleaded guilty to all 11 charges against him has been insisting that he acted alone in masterminding an estimated $50 billion investment fraud.



He ran what is called a Ponzi scheme, whereby early investors were paid off with the money injected by new clients.



Mr Friehling faces up to 105 years if found guilty of the charges.



Madoff faces up to 150 years and is to be sentenced in June.