The ongoing case against five former employees of Bernard Madoff continued this past week as the judge called a recess for the jurors to review the testimony of star prosecution witness Frank DiPascali.

According to USA Today, the panel of jurors made up of nine women and three men made the request to deliberate after several hours of consideration. This proceeding is the first Madoff-related case to be weighed by a jury.

A former stockbroker, investment advisor and financier, Madoff admitted to his operation in the Ponzi scheme, which is considered to be the largest financial fraud in the US. Madoff stole an estimated $20 billion from thousands of investors and pleaded guilty without standing trial in December 2008. He is now serving a 150-year prison term. If found guilty, the ex-employees face decades behind bars for knowingly participating and profiting from Madoff's fraud.