Accused Ponzi master Madoff's wife got funds before his arrest

— -- A firm co-owned by accused Ponzi scheme architect Bernard Madoff wired $10 million to the disgraced financier's wife one day before his Dec. 11 arrest, Massachusetts investigators disclosed Wednesday.

Ruth Madoff, 67, also got a $5.5 million wire transfer from the firm, Cohmad Securities, 15 days before the arrest, according to records obtained by Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin.

He said the transfers could raise questions about Madoff's claim to the FBI that he acted alone in allegedly running a $50 billion scam that victimized banks, hedge funds, charities, celebrities and investors worldwide.

"I'm not going to draw any factual inferences from the timing of Mrs. Madoff's wire transfers, but I certainly think it's of interest to those that are investigating Mr. Madoff's claim," said Galvin, referring to the criminal case pursued by federal prosecutors.

Ira Sorkin, the defense attorney for both Madoffs, declined to comment, as did acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin in New York.

Galvin disclosed the transfers as attorneys on both sides of the federal case agreed to a 30-day extension of Wednesday's deadline for a criminal indictment of the 70-year-old suspect.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Litt wrote that prosecutors have discussed "a possible disposition" of the case with Sorkin, and "plan to continue" the talks.

Sorkin declined to comment. But legal experts have said it's likely that Madoff, who did not contest a partial civil judgment against him this week, will seek a plea bargain in the criminal case.

"It would be almost impossible for the defense" to take the case to trial, said attorney Joshua Hochberg, a former head of the U.S. Justice Department's criminal fraud section and now a defense lawyer at the McKenna Long & Aldridge law firm.

Galvin disclosed the wire transfers to Madoff's wife in a complaint that asks Massachusetts regulators to end Cohmad's operations in the state. Officials of the firm, which lists Madoff as owner of as much as 25% of Cohmad, ignored subpoenas and failed to answer many questions about its ties with the suspect, the complaint charged.