They are victims of the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, and all they have to show for it are these lousy T-shirts.
And flashlights. And beach chairs. And tote bags.
Duped employees and clients of $50 billion scammer Bernard Madoff are bitterly hocking the swag they received from his company on eBay.
It’s a whole new category of collectibles, with more than 100 promotional trinkets bearing the name or symbol of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities. They were given to clients and employees over the years as tokens of appreciation, even as Madoff was stealing billions from investors.
“Emom1013” is selling a pair of $20 T-shirts given out at the 2006 company picnic at the Madoff family’s Long Island estate.
The seller writes: “The proceeds from this auction go directly to a family whose husband/father is facing being out of a job and health insurance thanks to good old Bernie.”
Other items include humidors, binoculars, beach towels, coolers, mousepads, shirts and jackets. The most expensive doodads so far include a Madoff flashlight that sold for $387 and a fleece sweater that went for $455.
A former Nasdaq employee, “Sr63horse,” warns buyers that the Madoff golf umbrella he’s selling “will protect you from the rain but not a Ponzi scheme.” So far, bids are up to $152.50.
Former employee “Savannahrose1,” who is selling a travel bag (bids are up to $202.50) and a fleece blanket ($61), wrote of the blanket: “I don’t wish to keep it anymore, as it reminds me of man I once admired.”