Sandy Koufax, three time Cy Young winner and Dodgers great, is on a distinguished list of clients that Bernie Madoff conned out of millions with his Ponzi scheme, according to documents that were made public in a U.S. Bankruptcy court yesterday.
Koufax was a friend of former Mets owner Mike Wilpon, and as a result ran in the same circles as the man who allegedly pulled off "the biggest financial fraud in history."
The list emerged late Wednesday, shortly after a whistleblower in the case, Harry Markopolos, told House lawmakers at a hearing that he had discovered that additional funds had relayed investments to Madoff in Europe - and that the managers of these "feeder" funds may have ignored signs of the massive fraud scheme.
The list of client names, including those of Madoff's relatives, numerous celebrities, dead people and charitable institutions, are listed on a 162-page document. Each page carries 84 single-spaced lines. Some customers are listed multiple times, presumably because they had multiple accounts.
There was no specific mention of how much Koufax lost, but presumably, if he was able to invest with Madoff, it was a substantial chunk of change. Also included on the list are actor Kevin Bacon, World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein and Ira Sorkin ... Madoff's attorney in the matter.
While it's shocking to see the names of celebrities on the list, the most depressing aspect of the Madoff case is that by suckering individuals out of millions, he managed to really empty the pockets of many non-profits, who don't have substantial financial backing to overcome the loss.
