Madoff client list includes hundreds of Minnesotans
A newly issued list of Bernard Madoff's clients includes nearly 400 entries with Minnesota addresses.
The 162-page list runs down the names of several thousand clients who invested with Madoff, and has been made public in a court filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
The Minnesota entries include half a dozen entities related to pension or retirement plans. More than 30 entries include the name of Minneapolis attorney Sidney Kaplan in some capacity, often as trustee.
According to the Star Tribune's Web site, the Sid Hartman included on the list is the paper's prominent sports columnist.
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Madoff was arrested last year for allegedly running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. The list of his clients includes Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax, actor Kevin Bacon and World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein.
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.
He plans to present his findings to the Securities and Exchange Commission's inspector general Thursday. If proven, they would substantiate the assertions of many analysts that the alleged fraud was far too large for Madoff to have conducted alone.
Prosecutors say Madoff admits he lost more than $50 billion belonging to investors. Defense lawyers say he has cooperated with authorities to help identify assets.
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.
The customers include prominent people and institutions that already had been publicly revealed, such as the Wilpon family, owner of the New York Mets.
Also listed were more than two dozen accounts involving the Mets and companies affiliated with their owners were listed, many with addresses at Shea Stadium.
The amount each person or institution invested with Madoff isn't listed.
Silverstein held the lease to the trade center's office space when it collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001, and is building three office towers to replace it. His spokesman, Bud Perrone, said in a statement Thursday:
"Losses incurred by Larry Silverstein and his family absolutely pale in comparison to those innocent investors who lost their life savings as a result of this scheme."
One client is Ira Sorkin, the attorney who's defending Madoff against charges he perpetrated the biggest financial fraud in history. Others include Madoff's wife, sons, brother and other relatives.
The list was compiled by AlixPartners LLP, a Dallas company hired as claims agent by the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.
Madoff hasn't been indicted. He's being held under house arrest at his multimillion-dollar penthouse.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
