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This is an archive article published on November 15, 2009

Madoff assests auctioned in New York to pay back to victims

Items once belonging to Bernard Madoff fetched nearly $1 million at an auction,proceeds of which will go to pay back to his victims.

Items once belonging to Bernard Madoff,America’s biggest fraudsters of all time,and his wife fetched nearly $1 million at an auction,proceeds of which will go to the fund set up to pay back to his victims.

The sale brought in $942,650 – nearly twice the $500,000 initial estimate,but it represents a mere fraction of estimated $21 billion he stole.

Some items,including his Mets baseball jacket and his wife’s diamond earrings,fetched over 20 times their estimated value,New York Times reported.

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Two pairs of his wife Ruth’s Victorian diamond earrings went for $70,000 each – much more than their expected price.

The top-priced item was Bernard Madoff’s Rolex watch,estimated to sell for about $80,000,was picked up for $65,000.

The less glitzy Swatch watches – seven in all – expected to go for just $100 – went for $850 instead.

In all,about 200 items were sold,from furs and fishing tackle to dog bowls,vases and Hermes handbags.

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Madoff is currently serving a 150-year sentence for a multi-billion dollar fraud.

More of his ill-gotten gains will be offered at other sales,according to the US Marshals’ asset forfeiture division.

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