NY judge OKs $405M payout to some Madoff victims
NY attorney general: Judge clears way for some Madoff fraud victims to get $405M back
NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal judge has cleared the way for investors who lost $1.2 billion to Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme to receive $405 million in payouts.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the judge rejected Madoff trustee Irving Picard's challenge to the settlement his office arranged last year with J. Ezra Merkin. Merkin ran a "feeder fund" that channeled money from four investment companies to Madoff.
Hundreds of investors had put their money into Ariel Fund Ltd., Gabriel Capital L.P., Ascot Fund Ltd. and Ascot Partners L.P.
Merkin will also pay New York state $5 million for the expense of recovering the money. Many eligible investors will be entitled to get more than 40 percent of their cash losses.
