Mostly Mundane Madoff Auction Reveals 'Shameless Excess' Only in His Closet
In a perhaps unexpected example of the banality of evil, attendees at a preview today of a New York auction of personal belongings bought with money from Bernard Madoff’s record-breaking Ponzi scheme seemed disappointed at the mundane nature of much of the swag.
Aside from the “shameless excess” displayed in the items from his closet at his Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan, the convicted swindler didn’t seem to have a great deal to show for his roughly $65 billion crime, writes the New York Times, citing a creamer shaped like a cow.
Madoff’s clothing, however, included hundreds of pairs of shoes and numerous unworn items still displaying the original price tags.
At least one attorney can perhaps thank (or blame) the event for a unique Christmas gift this year: An unidentified man at the auction said he is thinking about buying some of Madoff’s wife’s jewelry for his own wife, who is a lawyer working on Madoff-related litigation, the Times reports.
The auction to be held tomorrow at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers is one of many expected over the next year or so to dispose of the contents of Madoff’s multiple homes. The proceeds will help repay victims of the fraud.
Related coverage:
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “Madoff’s boats to be auctioned Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale”
Updated on Nov. 16 to link to subsequent Sun-Sentinel article.
