Madoff An Unholy Alliance: Madoff, Wall Street, Banks, and Washington D.C.

Ralph Griffith: A Life Lived in Ink

Ralph Griffith is an intriguing American author with a life story that reads like a gripping novel itself. Born in 1951 during the Cold War, his childhood antennae were acutely tuned to the dissonance between reality and government narratives. This skepticism blossomed into a rebellious spirit, finding its zenith during the electrifying Summer of Love. Imagine Ralph’s heart pulsing to the rhythm of the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, his soul resonating with the counterculture’s whirlwind in the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco, where he had escaped to.

Destiny, however, had other plans. A brush with LSD at 16 landed Ralph in the Nevada Youth Authority—a crucible he promptly escaped--his restless spirit yearning for new adventures. This escape coincided with the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, events that indelibly marked the canvas of his youth. Ralph became an unwitting witness to history, his life forever intertwined with these pivotal moments.

Fast forward to his thirties, and a different kind of confinement beckoned. Ralph’s foray into bank robbing led to over 30 years navigating the stark realities of incarceration. Yet, even within those prison walls, his spirit refused to be caged. It was there, amidst the clanging of cell doors and the harsh hum of fluorescent lights, that he discovered a new path--writing. His final 14-year stretch became a literary genesis.

Fueled by a desire to reclaim his narrative, Ralph poured his experiences onto the page. Seven years spent alongside Bernie Madoff at FCI Butner became the raw material for a gripping exposé. Titles like “Monkey House” and “The Real Bernie Madoff” offered scathing indictments of financial corruption. But Ralph’s imaginative prowess also shines through in various series, including “The Harry Chin Murder Mysteries,” “The Johnny Walker Detective Novels,” “The Clyde Thomas Novels,” “The Too-Sweet Sagas,” and “The Big Huna Novels.”

Today, Ralph resides in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by the tranquil beauty of Washington state’s landscapes. Yet, the ink coursing through his veins still carries the vibrancy of those early days in San Francisco. His life’s adventures, as unconventional as they may be, have endowed him with a wealth of stories yet to be told. And Ralph with his relentless spirit and boundless creativity, is just beginning to weave these tales into the rich tapestry of his burgeoning literary legacy.

www.ralphgriffith.net