QUOTES: Madoff and investors speak at court showdown

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Disgraced money manager Bernard Madoff apologized on Thursday to a courtroom packed with former investors as he pleaded guilty to 11 charges of fraud and other financial crimes and was ordered to jail.

Here are quotes from the courtroom and beyond:

* "Mr. Madoff, tell me what you did." -- U.S. District Judge Denny Chin

* "Your Honor, for many years up until my arrest on December 11, 2008, I operated a Ponzi scheme." -- Bernard Madoff

* "I am actually grateful for this first opportunity to publicly speak about my crimes, for which I am so deeply sorry and ashamed." -- Madoff

* "I am painfully aware I have deeply hurt many, many people." -- Madoff

* "When I began my Ponzi scheme, I believed it would end shortly and I would be able to extricate myself and my clients from the scheme." -- Madoff

* "I am here today to accept responsibility for my crimes by pleading guilty and, with this plea allocution, explain the means by which I carried out and concealed my fraud." -- Madoff

* "I think it's a first step toward what we should have seen three months ago." -- investor Ronnie Sue Ambrosino following judge's decision to have Madoff immediately jailed

* "It's just a standard statement from a guilty person." -- investor Judith Welling, after hearing Madoff's comments to the judge

* "While we do not agree with all the assertions made by Mr. Madoff today, his admissions certainly establish his guilt. We are continuing to investigate the fraud and will bring additional charges against anyone, including Mr. Madoff, as warranted." -- Acting U.S. Attorney for Manhattan Lev Dassin

* "I don't know whether you had the chance to turn around and look at the many victims." -- investor George Nierenberg

* "I think we're all just very satisfied with what happened. We're pleased that he's going to be where he deserves to be." -- investor Brian Felsen, after Madoff was ordered jailed

* "I would gladly trade his having a relatively minor jail sentence for his turning up where the assets are. I think that's true of a lot of people. I hope that he gets the most restrictive, worst environment possible." -- investor Jesse Cohen

* His greed has torn apart livelihoods, and further eroded the public's trust. It is appropriate that he is no longer relaxing comfortably in his luxury Upper East Side home, and will be in jail, where he belongs." -- U.S. Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus, of the House Financial Services Committee

(Reporting by Paul Thomasch, Martha Graybow, Grant McCool, Caroline Humer, and Edith Honan, editing by Leslie Gevirtz, Bernard Orr)