Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bernard Madoff’s Mercedes-Benz to Be Auctioned by U.S. Marshals

A 2001 Mercedes-Benz E320 once owned by convicted conman Bernard Madoff and his wife is going on the auction block next week.

The black station wagon with 44,146 miles is among 33 vehicles that will be auctioned on Oct. 23 in East Brunswick, New Jersey, as part of a sale of vehicles seized by or forfeited to the U.S. Marshals Service.

A Mercedes like Madoff’s has a suggested retail value of $13,727 to $19,530, according to estimates from auto pricing services Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.com. The Madoff heritage probably won’t add to the car’s auction price, said Tim Minoughan, auction manager for CWS Marketing Group, which is conducting the sale for the marshals.

“If it were a Bentley or a Rolls Royce or something really high valued, then that would be splash flash,” Minoughan said. “It’s hard to do that with an E320 wagon.”

Other vehicles at the auction range from a non-operational 1997 Nissan Maxima with 127,000 miles -- Kelley Blue Book value $2,450 -- to a 2006 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, which Edmunds.com says is worth $357,000.

Sam Israel’s RV

There’s also a 2007 Coachmen Freelander recreational vehicle with 8,939 miles on the odometer that belonged to Samuel Israel, founder of the Bayou Group LLC hedge fund, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a $400 million fraud. Similar vehicles originally sold for $69,999.

Madoff and his wife, Ruth, who has not been indicted, agreed in June to forfeit $170 billion in assets to settle claims with the U.S. Justice Department. The agreement covered real estate, investments, cars, boats, artwork and other property. Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence.

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