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Trustee Sues Ruth Madoff for $44M
Bankruptcy trustee says fraudster's wife received more than she'll admit to
By Nick McMaster
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Posted Jul 29, 09 4:14 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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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.
"We believe the trustee's action is wrong as a matter of law and fairness," said her attorney. "What makes this complaint particularly perplexing and totally unjustified, however, is the fact that Ruth already forfeited to the United States Attorney's Office almost all of the assets named in this complaint—assets that the U.S. Attorney's Office has publicly committed to distributing to the victims."