bernie-madoff

Bull to Market

cityfile · 08/21/09 10:16AM

Bernie Madoff's boat is up for sale. The 90-foot yacht, which is named "Bull" and was constructed in 2007, has been docked in Antibes, France ever since Madoff's assets were frozen. But now the administrators overseeing the liquidation of Madoff's investment firm have approved its sale. A British firm has the official listing posted online. Unfortunately, it doesn't indicate if the yacht comes with the bikini-clad babe sitting on the deck. But you could always try asking! [Telegraph]

Walter Noel Makes His Grand Return

cityfile · 08/19/09 02:54PM

Andrés Piedrahita may have canceled his summer cruise down the Dalmatian coast aboard his $22 million yacht, but other members of the family are still getting outside for some fun in the sun. A source tells us—and we've since confirmed—that Walter Noel, the founder of the Fairfield Greenwich Group, Piedrahita's father-in-law, and the man who "lost" $7 billion of his investors' money to Bernie Madoff's epic scam, is golfing once again. After taking a year-long hiatus, Noel returned to the Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton last week for the first time since August 2008. And he's been back two times since then. It's hard to blame him. Once he's indicted this fall, he probably won't have much time to practice his swing, now will he? You'll find Noel's score history—which indicates his golf game hasn't suffered much since he hit the links last summer—below.

Bernie Not-So-Big Secret

cityfile · 08/19/09 08:14AM

The Daily News haunted us all yesterday with info about Bernie Madoff's package, details contained in Sheryl Weinstein's new book about her lengthy affair with the convicted fraudster. If what the News printed wasn't quite enough for you and only left you wanting more, Bloomberg delivers with even more specifics today, including the revelation that "not only was it on the short side," but "it was small in circumference," too. If you give it a read, be aware that you may need to shower when you're done. [Bloomberg]

Leighton Meester's Obnoxious Behavior Causes a Scene in the Hamptons

The Cajun Boy · 08/18/09 07:19AM

Leighton Meester acts obnoxiously in a fancy Hamptons restaurant, Bernie Madoff boned his secretaries, Shania Twain is an Idol judge, NeNe was a stripper, Erin Andrews gets dirty for GQ, Madonna turns 51, and Sean Penn's marriage is officially over.

Bernie Madoff's Other Little Secret

cityfile · 08/18/09 06:07AM

Who should feel more embarrassed about the story on the front page of the Daily News today? Bernie Madoff, who will have to go through life knowing that not only do people despise him for carrying out the biggest fraud in history, they all now know he has a small penis, too? Or Sheryl Weinstein, the author of the new tell-all, who squeezes in the fact that he "was not well-endowed," but says sex with him left her "on fire" nonetheless, and he was a pretty good kisser to boot? Maybe it's Weinstein's husband, Ronald, who lost all his money to Madoff and now gets to spend his penniless golden years with the woman who will be forever known as the one who dished about the size of Madoff's member? It's hard to say, isn't it? [NYDN]

Andy and Mark May Be Next

cityfile · 08/17/09 01:42PM

More Madoff-related indictments may be on the way, reports Lucinda Franks, who's been covering the case for The Daily Beast (and who happens to be the wife of Manhattan District Attorney Bob Morgenthau). Prosecutors, she says, "are poised to make multiple indictments in the weeks after Labor Day," and "investigators have compiled additional evidence against members of Bernie Madoff's family, specifically his brother Peter Madoff, and his sons Andrew and Mark Madoff." So perhaps the Madoff boys won't get off after all. But it's awfully thoughtful of prosecutors to wait until after Labor Day to bring down an indictment, so the boys can enjoy the rest of their summer vacation, isn't it? [TDB]

Add Guns, Drugs To the Madoff Saga

cityfile · 08/14/09 09:30AM

As if it wasn't bad enough that Bernie Madoff investors were handing over their money to a con artist to manage, it seems they were also putting their trust in a drug-addicted gun freak, too. When Bernie Madoff's right-hand man Frank DiPascali pleaded guilty earlier this week to charges he helped engineer the $65 billion scheme and he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, the deal also guaranteed DiPascali that the feds wouldn't come after him for the "use of controlled substances prior to 1992" and "for possessing illegal firearms up until last Friday." Between this news and the revelation that Bernie had a 20-year affair that no one knew about, the made-for-TV Madoff movie is getting spicier by the day, isn't it? [NYP, WSJ]

Eating & Drinking: Thursday Edition

cityfile · 08/13/09 04:08PM

• After 37 years in business—and following several lease extensions—La Goulue on Madison Avenue will close its doors on Aug. 26. The owners say they're still hoping to reopen it somewhere else in the neighborhood. [NYT]
• Further evidence that this is a really tough time for media companies: The New York Times has licensed its name to a new wine club. [Reuters, release]
Simon Hammerstein is hoping to revive The Box with some new talent. Joey Arias will be taking over hosting duties beginning next month. [P6]
• Like the many critics before him, New York's Adam Platt doesn't go easy on Monkey Bar: "A-list connections can't cover for D-grade cooking." [NYM]

Bernie Laid Bare

cityfile · 08/13/09 08:01AM

There are about 20 books about Bernie Madoff scheduled to be published over the next few months. Let's hope only one gets into what Bernie was like in bed. Cheryl Weinstein, who says she lost her entire life savings to the fraudster, plans to detail an affair she supposedly had with Madoff in her upcoming book, Madoff's Other Secret: Love, Money, Bernie, and Me. And according to a spokesman for St. Martin's Press, in addition to details of the affair, "the hardcover book will include photographs and some intimate descriptions of Madoff." [Bloomberg]

Frank DiPascali States the Obvious

cityfile · 08/11/09 12:38PM

Bernie Madoff's right-hand man, Frank DiPascali, will joining his former boss behind bars in the near future. The former chief financial officer of Madoff's investment firm, DiPascali pleaded guilty this afternoon to all the counts against him, including securities fraud, falsifying records and international money laundering, as part of a deal with prosecutors. "Mr. DiPascali said at the plea hearing that the transactions were "all fake. It was all fictitious. It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong at the time." [WSJ]

Madoff Blinded Regulators With His Classiness

cityfile · 08/11/09 08:33AM

Why didn't the authorities catch Bernie Madoff sooner than they did? According to Andrew Kirtzman, the author of the book, Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff, it was Bernie's taste for fine design that kept regulators from noticing giant Ponzi scheme staring them in the face:

Irv Picard Isn't In Any Hurry

cityfile · 08/10/09 10:41AM

Victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme may have to wait 15 years before all of his assets are accounted for and re-distributed. Serving as the court-appointed receiver or trustee assigned to wind down a Ponzi scheme? That may be one of the most lucrative assignments around.