Ruth Madoff Breaks Silence: I Feel 'Betrayed And Confused'

NEW YORK — She's been hounded by news photographers, vilified by former clients of her husband and ostracized in high society.

She's also kept quiet for months _ until Monday.

Ruth Madoff _ memorably christened "The Loneliest Woman in New York" in a recent New York Times headline _ finally spoke out after her notorious husband got a 150-year sentence that probably makes certain she'll never see him again outside of prison.

"I am breaking my silence now, because my reluctance to speak has been interpreted as indifference or lack of sympathy for the victims of my husband Bernie's crime, which is exactly the opposite of the truth," Madoff said in a statement issued through her lawyer.

Prosecutors say her husband's multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme wiped out clients of his investment advisory firm while bankrolling an extravagant lifestyle for his family, including country estates, a yacht and international travel.

Mrs. Madoff, 68, hasn't been charged with a crime. But a judge's forfeiture order has stripped her of $80 million in assets including a penthouse apartment where she still lives. That's left her with $2.5 million that couldn't be linked to the fraud.

Since her husband's arrest late last year, negative publicity casting the Madoffs as soulless symbols of greed and excess has made her persona non grata at her regular hair salon, florist and favorite high-end eateries on the Upper East Side, the Times reported.

Her husband of nearly 50 years came to her defense while addressing the court on Monday, saying she "cries herself to sleep every night knowing of all the pain and suffering I have caused, and I am tormented by that as well"

Ruth Madoff, though not at the courthouse, later expressed her own sympathy for the victims.

"Many of my husband's investors were my close friends and family," she said. "And in the days since December, I have read, with immense pain, the wrenching stories of people whose life savings have evaporated because of his crime."

The statement didn't overtly condemn her husband, nor address the couple's future. But she suggested she identified with his victims who were blind-sided by his dark side.

"I am embarrassed and ashamed," she said. "Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused. The man who committed this horrible fraud is not the man whom I have known for all these years."

Comments

[surlyguvna]

Cry me a river Ruth! You didn't care to see what was infront of your eyes and now you're playing the victim. Did it bother you when you and Bernie were taking lavish trips, throwing grand hampton parties, or buying oversized speedboats with ill gotten gains. Nope.
You're probably playing victim now because you don't want to give up that 2.5 million you got to keep...but don't worry chickie, you're lawyer will be taking the rest of that come your trial. Sweet dreams Ruth!

[booboo111]

She has to switch hair salons. Isn't that punishment enough?

[Boadicea]

LOL!!

You made my day!

[SteveStephens]

bad hair day are, like, so sucky!! yaknow.

[newyorkid]

Ruth Maddof didn't do anything other than read a piece of paper written by her lawyer. She must return the 2.5 million in cash given to her by the federal prosecutors, and live on food stamps like some of the victims.

[allieq]

hahahahah..omg..does she really think we are going to think she didn't know????? wow. the arrogance is astonishing.

[Oonagh]

Now, who does she think she is fooling.... hey Ruth, we know that the whole family are involved in the scam.. stop pretending.

[Rufusdog]

Chin has ordered that Madoff forfeit over 170 billion US dollars in illegally obtained assets, following a request from the prosecutors.

In an accompanying order, a district court in New York also stipulated that wife Ruth Madoff be stripped of 85 million US dollars in assets, leaving her with just 2.5 million US dollars in cash.

[booboo111]

........just?

[JZ735]

She doesn't need 2.5 million...let her live on what the median income is in the US...at MAXIMUM. See what it means to live paycheck to paycheck, Ruth...

[gramma91]

At the risk of being lynched, isn't someone innocent until proven guilty in this country. I don't, for a fact, know if the woman is complicit or not, but I believe it is up to the legal system to determine guilt AND if she is indicted, she is entitled to a fair and impartial jury. If she is charged with a crime, I hope she can get a fair trial . . . our system of justice depends upon it.

[booboo111]

You may not, as you imply, be able to prove anything, but she should be penniless, since she "unknowingly" lived large off the criminal proceeds. In other words, civil actions should deem her insolvent. Let her shampoo hair. That's an honest living.

[artistinresidence]

Number ONE: I wouldn't let her shampoo MY hair. "Ouch! STOP pulling my hair!!"
TWO: she should deign to volunteer in a soup kitchen.
THREE: number two could help her find a place to sleep.

[gramma91]

I am not condoning for an instant anything that happened in this matter. In fact, I am as appalled as anyone else is. However, as I read the posts, I felt someone needed to say that if she is charged with a crime, she is entitled to a fair trial. Obviously the burden of proof in a civil trial is less than it is in a criminal case, so the chips will fall where they do. Again, our legal system, while not foolproof, if the best we have and should be the ajudicator if the matter comes before it.

[poobah]

My first thought is that she is part of a plea bargain. He would plead guilty for her not being prosecuted.

[booboo111]

No way. They didn't need him to plead guilty. They had plenty.

[Oonagh]

She is innocent until proven otherwise.. and I am sure that is not too long off for her and the rest of her family.

[JZ735]

That is all well and good, but her protestations of innocence are hollow at best.

[Freenation]

does she really belives people are belieing her 'I didn't know anything' story....

[Jeffreygeez]

Why is this women not being charged? Rest assured that if she was divorcing a still in business Bernie she would know about his financial holdings to the penny! This is a joke , and she has the last laugh. He let her slide and the authorities are buying into it?. A joke.

[HisPetGoat]

Ruth and Bernie, side by side
Took investors for a ride
Their scheme hit a bump
He copped a plea
So the jury convicted him
Ruthlessly

[mainemomma]

OMG that is good!

[weatherwaxx]

The loneliest woman in New York? What a crock.

Go into any nursing home and ask to visit one of the old women who have no friends, kids, or anybody else to spend a few minutes with them. You could spend months at it.

If Mrs. Madoff is lonely, it's because she forged her relationships--and maybe 'forged' is the exact word--on false pretenses and values that can only be measured in millions of dollars.

If she's lonely enough, maybe she can join Meals on Wheels or work in a homeless shelter or do something to give back to the people she helped rip off.

Sorry, no pity from this working person.

[PigLipstick]

Have some compassion, she's down to her last $2.5 Million !

[kbkw54]

Ruth Madoff is NO victim. She should have also been charged, You can't convince me that
she didn't know what was going on.

[JZ735]

But she is trying to present herself as such...don't believe it for a second.

[jaslyn]

I think she's crying herself to sleep every night because the gravy train's over. I don't know if anyone believes she wasn't in on everything he was doing; what I don't get is why they're letting her keep 2 and half million. She should be in jail.

[artistinresidence]

Party's OVER, honey!! I've slept in my car...she can sleep in her Bentley.

[JZ735]

As I said above, a nice cot at a homeless shelter is where she belongs...or better yet, in a women's prison with the most hardened, toughest gals around...something tells me they won't be paling around with her like they did with Martha.

[roninroshi]

She is as bogus as Bernie...

[booboo111]

If she felt any remorse whatsoever, she would have given up about 3/4 of the two million, to the victims, leaving her with still enough to survive on easily for the rest of her life. The only remorse she feels is the same as her husband's. Remorse, that they got caught, which they never would have had the economy not collapsed.

[TheBlackCat]

good point

[Oonagh]

Exactly.. she feels bad that the game is over.

[djgonebad]

She must have been blinded by love?