Washington  - Disgraced financier Bernhard Madoff pleaded guilty in court Thursday to a 50-billion-dollar fraud that entwined hundreds of investors around the world, US media reported.

Madoff pleaded guilty to all 11 counts of fraud in a lower Manhattan federal court, according to broadcaster CNBC. The investor faced criminal counts including securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and filing false statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).