NEW YORK — Bernard Madoff led a lavish lifestyle until his downfall. The jailed financier left homes filled with luxury goodsand everyday items such as underwear, slippers and T-shirts, all monogrammed.
Thousands of belongings from the New York penthouse Madoff shared with his wife are headed for auction Saturday. Federal marshals staged a preview Wednesday of items seized from the apartment and the Madoffs’ Long Island beachhouse — from bed linens, clothing, cookware and luggage to intimate items such as used socks, cuticle scissors and even bottles of shampoo.
There also were artworks, more than a dozen luxury watches and antique furniture. Ruth Madoff’s 10.5-carat diamond ring is the gem of the sale, with an estimated value of $300,000 to $350,000.
“And he loved shoes and spent a lot of money on 250 pairs — some never worn,” said auctioneer Bob Sheehan, who will conduct the auction for the U.S. Marshals Service that seized Madoff’s properties and ordered his wife to leave.
Proceeds from the 489 lots with an estimated pre- sale worth of $1.5 million will go to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Fund to compensate the convicted swindler’s victims. An auction last year of Madoff’s property raised $1 million. The Associated Press; Bloomberg News photo
