when Bernie Madoff investment firm
turned out to be a giant Ponzi scheme
the world watched in shock as his
family's lavish lifestyle crumbled and
thousands of clients he had swindled
were left with virtually nothing at the
center of it all were his sons who
turned their father over to law
enforcement in 2008 and his wife Ruth
Madoff who maintained that she was
unaware of any illegal activity in the
years that passed Ruth practically
disappeared from the spotlight
altogether
here's how she's getting fly today let's
make a deal in June 2009 just days
before Bernie Madoff was sentenced to
150 years in prison
Ruth struck a deal with US prosecutors
forfeiting her right to 80 million
dollars in various assets in return for
2.5 million a few months later roots
assets were frozen after trustee irving
picard sued her for forty four point
eight million dollars in an attempt to
obtain the return of forty four point
eight million dollars that he said was
transferred to her from Bernard Madoff's
firm over a six-year period as part of a
court order
Ruth was ordered to report her monthly
expenses as well as any time she spent
over $100 on herself
attempted suicide during an interview
with 60 minutes
Ruth dropped the bombshell that she and
Bernie had tried to kill themselves on
Christmas Eve 2008 just two weeks after
Bernie came clean about his Ponzi scheme
she admitted I don't know who whose idea
it was
but we decided to kill ourselves I said
I can't I just can't go on anymore she
and Bernie took sleeping pills but woke
up the next morning she said it was very
impulsive and I'm glad we woke up but
sadly her son Mark wasn't so lucky
losing her family Ruth and Bernie son
mark committed suicide on December 11th
2010 exactly two years after his
father's arrest at the time a source
close to the family told the New York
Times that in the weeks before his
suicide Mark had expressed both
continuing bitterness toward his father
and anxiety about a series of lawsuits
that were filed against him his brother
Andrew and other family members
he had also become anxious over news
coverage speculating that criminal
charges against him and his brother were
still likely even though neither were
ever charged Marc's suicide left Ruth
devastated and filled with regret as she
had refused to listen to Marc's pleas to
cut off contact with Bernie Ruth who was
allegedly not allowed to attend Marc's
funeral told 60 minutes I just wish
until my dying day that I had done what
he wanted I don't know if it would have
made a difference or not but if I could
change things I would have felt a little
better Ruth would later lose son Andrew
to mantle cell lymphoma in 2014 change
of address after initially moving to
Boca Raton Florida in 2011 Ruth made
another move in 2012 this time heading
back north to old Greenwich Connecticut
according to the New York Post the town
is about an hour away from Manhattan by
train but she reportedly moved there to
be closer to her three grandchildren
settling into a gated community called
The Gables where one bedroom condos
lists for over three thousand dollars a
month according to ABC News friends and
acquaintances say that Ruth keeps to
herself and that she still keeps in
contact with her husband even though she
no longer visits Madoff lawyer IRA
Sorkin said she was caught between her
grandchildren and Bernie but what just
her relationship with Bernie is still
remains under wraps the HBO project in
2017 HBO's The Wizard of lies attempted
to answer questions about the family's
knowledge of the infamous Ponzi scheme
with Michelle Pfeiffer portraying Ruth
for Phi first Park she believes Ruth and
their sons truly didn't know what was
going on until Bernie confessed Pfeiffer
told Town and Country in all the
research I did there wasn't one person
who knew the facts who thought Ruth was
aware of anything before filming started
Pfeiffer met with Ruth at her Old
Greenwich home according to what
director Barry Levinson told page six I
don't think it would be appropriate to
say Ruth cooperated with the film
Michelle simply spent a little time
talking to Ruth I don't think Michelle
talked much about the script it was
simply to get to know her Pfeiffer told
Town and Country
I knew Ruth wasn't happy about this film
being made why would she be but the best
I could do is represent her in
on its way my hope is that people will
come away from this film thinking of her
as a human being but not even Pfeiffer
may be able to redeem her in the public
eye public harassment in 2015 The Daily
News reported on an incident where a
Ruth Madoff was confronted by a crime
watch Daily reporter on the front steps
of her home another round of money
stolen by her husband was going to be
repaid to victims and the reporter tried
to get a statement from her her only
response was quote get away from me even
though she was reportedly being kept to
an extremely strict budget the Daily
Mail reported her not only shopping at
IKEA but still carrying a handbag worth
around one thousand three hundred and
fifty dollars according to the post
these days Ruth mostly keeps to herself
and neighbors have little to say about
her either
a client at her hair salon said why
can't she just live in peace she has a
right to her privacy thanks for watching
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