Madoff's Wife Under Scrutiny in Ponzi Scheme

(NEWSER) - Ruth Madoff won't be able to spend $100 without scrutiny under a deal approved by a bankruptcy judge overseeing the liquidation of her husband's financial firm, the Wall Street Journal reports. Madoff agreed to give a full accounting of her income and any spending over $100 to a court-appointed trustee acting for victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. More»

Bankruptcy trustee says fraudster's wife received more than she'll admit to

(NEWSER) - The trustee in the Bernie Madoff case sued the swindler's wife today to demand the return of $44 million to bilked investors, Newsday reports. The complaint doesn't allege criminal activity by Ruth Madoff but says she directly received funds from her husband’s multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Ruth Madoff gave up all but $2.5 million of her assets in a forfeiture deal last month, but she's not protected from lawsuits. More»

(NEWSER) - Investigators have only recovered $1.2 billion of the $13.2 billion bilked from investors by Bernard Madoff since 1995, reports the Wall Street Journal. Eligible victims may be compensated up to $500,000 by the Securities Investor Protection Corp., but the rest will have to come from whatever investigators can find. Trustees say Madoff hasn't provided "meaningful cooperation" to help them locate the vanished loot. More»

US seeks payback of loans, along with gems, cufflinks

(NEWSER) - The Madoff accounting continues. Authorities said today they intend to collect millions of dollars from Bernie's sons, about $2.6 million worth of his wife's jewelry, and 35 watches and cufflinks that belonged to the Ponzi schemer himself, the Daily News reports. Madoff lent son Mark $9.5 million, much of it just months ahead of his arrest, and son Andrew $22 million. While dad may not have collected, the government intends to, the News notes. More»

Feds investigating 20 others; 'he's jerking everyone around'

(NEWSER) - Bernie Madoff's guilty plea Thursday won't be the end of the story, the Daily Beast reports. The feds are investigating 20 possible co-conspirators, including family members, writes Lucinda Franks. Madoff wants to preserve money for his wife and kids, and keep them out of trouble. But sources say that several people close to Madoff may have transferred money to their wives, laundering the transactions through an English bank. More»