US Attorney Preet Bharara has extended the deadline for filing claims for compensation from the Madoff Victim Fund to April 30.
Bharara’s announcement Friday said the extension was recommended by Special Master Richard C. Breeden, who is administering the MVF on behalf of the Department of Justice. The original deadline was Feb. 28.
The MVF has received approximately 9,000 claims so far from victims of the crimes committed in connection with the fraud at Madoff Securities, the announcement said.
Approximately 94 percent of claims came from individuals who either did not file a bankruptcy claim or whose claim was denied as an indirect investor, it said, and that roughly 75 percent of claimants have recovered nothing, or less than 10 percent of their losses, since Madoff Securities collapsed.
Approximately 60 percent of claims came from US residents, with the remaining 40 percent coming from victims of the fraud in more than 75 countries, the announcement said.