All the dirty laundry about Ponzi villain Bernie Madoff’s sex-crazed office antics — including a bizarre “love triangle” he was enmeshed in with employees — is now fair game in court, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain denied a motion by the feds that jurors be barred from hearing the dirty details of what went on at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities when the Ponzi king’s longtime secretary and other former key staffers head to trial Oct. 7 for their roles in the epic scheme.
In bombshell legal papers filed in August the feds had revealed that Madoff was at the center of a “love triangle” with one of the defendants and that other key staffers at BLMIS were also involved in various romantic romps with one another. The prosecutors didn’t name names or say whether any of their own witnesses in the cases were involved in the alleged shenanigans.
“The parties’ opposition and reply submissions indicate that communications regarding the nature and evidentiary implications of information regarding the alleged romantic relationships are ongoing,” Swain wrote. “The Court has insufficient information at this juncture to rule on the application. It is denied as premature, without prejudice to renewal in the event the parties come to an impasse regarding an anticipated proffer.”
The five defendants on trial are Madoff’s longtime ex-secretary Annette Bongiorno, office worker Joann Crupi, former operations officer Daniel Bonventre, and computer programmers George Perez and Jerome O’Hara.
Assuming Madoff lover isn’t a guy or the love triangle doesn’t involve the wife of one of the male defendants, that would leave Bongiorno and Crupi on Bernie’s possible office booty-call list.
The short, portly 65-year-old functioned as an office supervisor who allegedly sent out phony account statements, prosecutors say.
Crupi, 52, meanwhile handled investor funds and kept track of the firm’s daily cash balance.
Throwing off the scent on Crupi is that she has previously told the court she has a lesbian partner and two adopted sons.
Crupi allegedly received $2.7 million directly from Madoff just in 2008.
Prosecutors also allege that Bongiorno pocketed more than $14 million in fraudulent profits by “investing” about $920,000 in Madoff’s scheme.
When asked about Swain’s decision, the US Attorney’s office declined comment.
Meanwhile, Bongiorno will be sitting pretty during the trial.
Swain also ruled that Madoff’s ex-secretary could be permitted to bring a special chair to the courtroom.
“As the court is aware, Ms. Bongiorno is diminutive in stature,” her lawyer Roland Riopelle wrote. “As a result, the standard chairs in the Southern District courtrooms are uncomfortable for her to sit in for extended periods.”
The government didn’t object.