Ruth Madoff in Court Battle to Keep $70M

List reveals couple's homes, cash, luxury goods mostly in Ruth's name

(NEWSER) - A list of the Madoffs' assets released yesterday falls a long way short of the tens of billions investors and prosecutors are looking for, the Wall Street Journal reports. A $700 million valuation for Bernard Madoff's investment business made up the bulk of the roughly $826 million in assets listed, with the rest, including several houses, mostly in his wife Ruth Madoff's name. More»

Bernie's used boxers: The perfect holiday gift!

(NEWSER) - If ever you had a desire to buy a pair of Bernie Madoff’s cuticle scissors … you missed your chance. More of the Ponzi schemer’s stuff , including, yes, cuticle scissors, was auctioned off yesterday. The sale grossed more than $2 million—quite a bit more than the $1.2 million that was predicted. Among the thousands of belongings that hit the auction block: Ruth’s engagement ring ($550,000) and diamond earrings ($135,000), a vintage Rolex watch ($67,500), and a leather bull foot stool ($3,300—even though the tail broke off). More»

Oh, and forget about her being in the clear—Weinstein says she 'had to know'

(NEWSER) - Sheryl Weinstein is still expounding on Bernie Madoff’s “not very large” penis, most recently to Cindy Adams of the New York Post. “It was narrow,” she says. “Tiny in terms of girth, not length.” Still, he somehow convinced scores of women to sleep with him—“he was a player,” Weinstein says—thanks in part to the wonders of sexual positioning: “Did you ever hear of being on top?” More»

(NEWSER) - Ruth Madoff struck a deal with federal prosecutors today to forfeit nearly $80 million in assets and retain only $2.5 million in cash, the Wall Street Journal reports. The wife of swindler Bernard Madoff reached the agreement with the US attorney's office in Manhattan. Meanwhile, a US judge entered an order of forfeiture against the Ponzi schemer for more than $170 billion. More»

Investors' money kept family living luxe

(NEWSER) - Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff used investors’ money as a “personal piggy bank” to support family, as well as some staff, extravagances, ABC reports. Documents filed in New York bankruptcy court show that Ruth Madoff used the company card to purchase nearly $5,000 of clothing at Paris boutiques last January, while sons Andrew and Mark charged ski vacations to the company. More»