Ruth Madoff Evicted from Penthouse

Locks changed; U.S. marshalls now have custody of $7 mill duplex.

ByABC News
May 14, 2009, 4:09 PM

July 2, 2009— -- U.S. Marshalls changed the locks and evicted Ruth Madoff from her luxury Penthouse apartment today, six months after her husband, Bernard Madoff, confessed to running the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

A spokesman for the U.S. Marshall's office of the Southern District of New York said Ruth Madoff left at noon, shortly after federal officers acting on court orders took custody of the $7 million duplex Upper East Side mansion in Manhattan.

"Ruth left voluntarily, pursuant to prior agreements that we had reached with the government," said her attorney Peter Chavkin.

Click here to go behind the scenes of Brian Ross' investigation into Bernie and Ruth Madoff.

On Monday, Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison, but his wife has not been charged.

Victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme had been outraged that first Bernie and then Ruth Madoff had been allowed to remain in the luxury penthouse apartment for the past six months.

Click here for complete coverage of the Madoff scandal.

But the government has now ordered the property to be seized and sold as part of a restitution plan for victims still being worked out.

The lavish two-story apartment is furnished with artwork, antiques and a grand piano. Ruth and Bernie each had their own private dens as seen in these exclusive photos obtained by ABC News.

But the government has now ordered the property to be seized and sold as part of a restitution plan for victims still being worked out.

The lavish two-story apartment is furnished with artwork, antiques and a grand piano. Ruth and Bernie each had their own private dens as seen in these exclusive photos obtained by ABC News. 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