The will of Andrew Madoff, son of Ponzi schemer Bernie, was admitted to probate court last week. The will reportedly left his personal property valued at $11.5 million to his 2 daughters. He left one third of his $4.5 million of real estate to his estranged wife, and the remaining 2/3 of it to a trust for his long time girlfriend. His girlfriend is to receive $50,000 per month for the rest of her life. Notably, his wife withdrew her 5+ year old divorce filing 6 months ago. Andrew long maintained he was unaware of his father's activities even though he worked for his father's firm.
Many points:
1. It was smart, if not cynical and financially calculating, of his wife to withdraw her divorce complaint prior to his death because assets pass to a spouse free of federal estate taxes.
2. I suspect that he also has a funded trust because there is no way to pay his girlfriend $50K monthly for the rest of her life based on a trust with $3 million principal ($2 million after estate taxes).
3. If there is a funded trust, it behooves the question why these $16 million of assets were not transferred to the trust prior to his death and why the will did not simply pour all assets into the trust and keep these provisions from the public eye.
4. The karma at work in Bernie Madoff;s life is almost commensurate with the amount of money he stole - reported to the feds by the sons he protected from his scheme, estranged from them afterwards, and now both of them dead before the age of 50 while he is alive in prison at 76. Almost commensurate.
