Madoff son found dead in NYC home in apparent suicide

Mark Madoff, 46, son of the convicted Wall Street financier was being investigated by authorities but had worked on legitimate side of family firm.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JTA
Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. (photo credit: AP)
Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff.
(photo credit: AP)
One of jailed financier Bernard Madoff's sons was found dead Saturday of an apparent suicide, according to a law enforcement official.
Mark Madoff, 46, was found hanged in his apartment in Manhattan's SoHo district, according to the official. A family member notified police around 7:30 a.m.
RELATED:AJ Congress suspends activitiesSpoils of Madoff's lavish life on auction blockThe official spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't allowed to speak publicly about the case.
Mark Madoff and his brother, Andrew, were under investigation but hadn't faced any criminal charges in the massive Ponzi scheme that led to their father's jailing.
The scandal put a harsh light on members of the swindler's family. The financier's brother, Peter, played a prominent role in the family's company. Mark and Andrew Madoff both worked on a trading desk at the firm, on a side of the business that wasn't directly involved in the Ponzi scheme.
On Thursday, it was announced that Hadassah: The Women’s Zionist Organization of America had agreed with Madoff estate trustee Irving Picard to pay back $45 million of the money it made in the Bernard Madoff scam.
The organization, which began investing with Bernard Madoff Securities in 1988 with a $7 million gift, deposited a total of $40 million in its Madoff accounts, and by April 2007 had withdrawn $137 million. The last account statement showed approximately $90 million at the time the fraud was discovered.