Madoff's wife faces having fortune seized

The wife of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff faces having millions of dollars of assets in her own name seized, it emerged today.

Madoff’s lawyers had indicated that they planned to claim Ruth Madoff was entitled to keep as much as $69m (€53m). They said the assets were not part of Madoff’s fraud.

But Federal prosecutors have notified a New York court that they want that money.

In a court filing, the government said it will seek her $7m (€4.6m) Manhattan penthouse as well as another $62m (€47.7m) she sought to keep.

Madoff pleaded guilty last week to securities fraud and perjury, among other charges.