If you're in need of office space and you're not at all superstitious, bear in mind that Bernie Madoff's old office is now available. One of the three floors that Madoff's firm occupied in the Lipstick building is now available for lease. The 17th floor space is 16,182 square feet and comes with lovely river views. If you move into the former CEO suite, you won't even need to bring a TV: "Only a pair of built-in cabinets and a wall-mounted television, easily 10 years old, remain." [AP]

Brace yourselves. We just may have pinpointed the whereabouts of Ruth Madoff. (She's been at an "undisclosed location" since she was forced out of her East 64th Street penthouse last week.) A reliable source who has been in touch with acquaintances of the family tells us she's been staying at the home of her niece, Diane Hochman, in Hewlett, Long Island.

Wondering what your fave fraudsters are up to? Yesterday, prosecutors announced that they planned to seek a 145-year jail sentence for Marc Dreier, the lawyer who ripped off various hedge funds and other investors out of $400 million. Dreier will find out how long he'll spend behind bars when he's sentenced on Monday, but in the meantime, there's a bit of Bernie Madoff news today, too.

Last week, Ezra Merkin, the disgraced financier who funneled a couple of billion to Bernie Madoff and has since been slapped with civil fraud charges, agreed to give up his prized collection of art as part of a deal with the attorney general's office. Like you, we found the news deeply troubling. Can you imagine what it must be like to spend years buying up one priceless Rothko painting after another, only to have Andrew Cuomo come along and run off them? Not fun! As always, though, we're here to help: We just sent a lovely Rothko poster to Merkin at his 740 Park Avenue duplex. Just because you aided and abetted the biggest crook in American history doesn't mean you should have to stare at bare walls all day!

Ruth Madoff is getting her passport back, so that she may—if she's smart—flee this country for an isolated life far, far away. Our poll of public sympathy for her did not come back with encouraging results:

Where is Ruth Madoff? As of today, she could be anywhere in the world: "Federal prosecutors allowed Ruth Madoff to get her passport back today, in what people involved in the case said was 'a clear sign' she will not be prosecuted as an accomplice in her husband's $65 billion Ponzi scheme." If you spot her shopping at the Hermès in Beijing—or attempting to mix in with the locals in Hanoi—please let us know. [ABC News via Dealbreaker]

Judge Denny Chin sure has an interesting caseload. Last week, the federal judge appointed to the bench by Bill Clinton was in the papers after sentencing Bernie Madoff to 150 years in prison. So what great legal matters is he tending to this week? He's hearing opening arguments in a $60 million libel lawsuit filed by Howard K. Stern against former talk show host Rita Cosby, who alleged in her 2007 bestselling book that Stern and Anna Nicole Smith's former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, "engaged in gay sex" while Anna Nicole stood by and allegedly videotaped it. [NYP]

Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison last week. Exactly where he'll spend the remaining years of his life, however, has yet to be decided. It will be up to the Bureau of Prisons to pick out an appropriate facility for the fraudster. But Madoff is still hoping to have a bit of a say as to where he ends up and even hired a prison "consultant" by the name of Herb Hoelter to help him find just the right place.

Ruth Madoff—loyal, pampered, tight-lipped wife of the single worst financial criminal in American history—seems to be unpopular. But why?? Is it feminist backlash? Anti-feminist backlash? Or, uh, something else? Poll and analysis below!

Dealbook has an update in the case of Ivy Supersonic, the "fashion designer, entertainer, publicist, promoter, event planner, and animated character designer" who was busted for bringing a "recording device" to Bernie Madoff's sentencing earlier this week. As suspected, she says she was planning to tape the proceedings for Howard Stern's radio show. (In fact, she tells reporter Zachery Kouwe that the "device" was a Blackberry Pearl that belonged to Robin Quivers.) She also reports that she's talking to her lawyers about whether she has a legal right to get the tape back, since it "could be worth $1 million." Best of luck with that, Ivy. [Dealbook, previously]

• The New York Blade, one of the two big gay and lesbian newspapers in New York City, has suspended publication and laid off most of its staff. [NYT]
• How many books can you possibly read about Bernie Madoff? Who knows, but there at least four books about him scheduled to hit stores this fall. [Crains]
• David Rohde, the New York Times reporter who was kidnapped in Afghanistan with his translator in November and released a couple of weeks ago, returned to the Times newsroom to a standing ovation yesterday. [NYT]
• James Frey's young adult novel has been sold to HarperCollins. [NYT]
• Wonkette editor Ken Layne has sold a book to HarperCollins, too. [NYO]
• The battle between CNBC's Dennis Kneale and bloggers goes on. [Dealbreaker]

That was quick! Federal agents turned up at 133 East 64th Street just after noon today with a court order to seize the penthouse apartment belonging to Ruth and Bernie Madoff. "We've taken custody," a spokesman for the US Marshalls tells the Post. Taken custody? Does that mean a battering ram and tear gas were used? Not quite. Unfortunately, Ruth was not ushered out into the street in her bathrobe and forced to shuffle off into the distance in her slippers. She left sometime between last Friday—when she agreed to give up the apartment as part of a deal with the U.S. Atttorney's office—and today, and her lawyer points out that she "left voluntarily and in an orderly manner." And where is she now? An "undisclosed location." If you happen to spot her in your neighborhood, let us know. Your info might just earn you some serious cash. [NYP]

Staggeringly terrible Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen went to high school with the Madoffs! Who will be the hero to go back in time and blow this high school up? He was in love with Ruth!

The Daily Beast has unearthed a few photos of the Madoff family from back in the day, just in case you've been dying to see pics of Ruth Madoff in a bathing suit and yet, six months after her name entered the public conversation, you've yet to realize your dream. As for the t-shirt Bernie's wearing on the left, it reads "Thank you, PaineWebber." No, thank you, Bernie. You've gone above and beyond. [TDB]

Bernie Madoff will rot in jail, but Ruth Madoff—his constant companion—didn't do anything criminal and won't be charged, the Feds say. Though she does still face social ostracism in Palm Beach. So.

Ruth Madoff can breathe a little bit easier today. According to the Post, Bernie Madoff's wife will not be prosecuted for having any role in her husband's Ponzi scheme, since federal prosecutors "lack evidence that she was either aware of or involved in Bernard Madoff's scam." And here we were thinking that the $15.5 million she withdrew from her brokerage accounts in the weeks before Madoff's arrest was a little bit suspicious!

Does Ivy Supersonic strike you as the sort of person who would have fallen victim to Bernie Madoff? Not so much? Perhaps that explains why her attempt to tape-record Madoff's sentencing yesterday didn't turn out so well and she got caught in the act. Ivy Silberstein, as she's known in real life, brought a "recording device" into the courthouse, a violation of the rules, obviously. But someone apparently spotted her and Judge Denny Chin ordered that court officers seize the device and delete the material before returning it.

Bernie Madoff's been sentenced to die in prison. Now, all those victimized by him have found peace. Just kidding! They're all in anguish. Seriously, we're worried about them. The victims are dealing with their rage in three distinct ways:

A "person familiar with the investigation" into Bernie Madoff has tells the AP that the government is pursuing charges against 10 more people who allegedly played a role in carrying out the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. Who are they? No names were mentioned, unfortunately. But if one of the people on the list is hedge fund manager Ezra Merkin, that won't be the only piece of bad news he receives this week. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo unveiled a deal this morning to sell off a collection of Merkin's Rothko paintings and Giacometti sculptures, items that will go to repay people who lost money as part of the scheme. An anonymous buyer has already stepped up and agreed to pay $310 million for the works, and when various liens, commissions and legal fees are subtracted, an estimated $191 million will eventually be left over for Madoff's victims. What will Merkin do with the bare walls of his mammoth apartment at 740 Park? Well, this painting is still for sale, as far as we know, and would be rather fitting, wouldn't it? [AP, WSJ]

The Daily News brings us a few photos inside Ruth and Bernie Madoff's Upper East Side penthouse today, so if you've been dying for a peek at the pattern of their $35,000 Persian carpet—which, like everything else in the apartment, will be up for auction at some point in the future—you're in luck.