Bernie Madoff tried to get employee to invest winnings from $17 million lottery jackpot: co-worker - NY Daily News
Former Madoff employee Barry Fleischmann won a $17 million lottery jackpot in 2007, and asked his boss to invest a chunk of the money — but the Ponzi villain wanted all of it, colleague Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz testified Wednesday in the fraud trial of five former Madoff office workers
Former Bernie Madoff employee Barry Fleischmann asked his boss to invest of chunk of his $17 million lottery winnings in 2007, but Madoff wanted all or nothing. Here, Fleischmann is all smiles after receiving an oversized check for his winnings at the lottery claim center in Garden City, Long Island, on Nov. 3, 2007.
This Bernard Madoff trader got lucky, twice.
Barry Fleischmann won a $17 million lottery jackpot in 2007, not long before Madoff’s Ponzi scheme went bust and thousands of investors lost billions of dollars.
When Fleischmann asked his boss to invest a chunk of his winnings, the Wall Street crook scoffed at his underling and demanded the whole shebang.
“Mr. Madoff said he wanted all of it,” colleague Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz testified Wednesday in the fraud trial of five former Madoff office workers.
Fleischmann luckily decided to keep his loot, a decision that saved his fortune
At the trial for five former Bernie Madoff employees accused of being part of the Ponzi scheme, a colleague said Madoff (pictured) wanted all of Fleischmann's lottery winnings.
“When everything collapsed in 2008, some of us who worked with him said Barry Fleischmann won the lottery twice,” Cotellessa-Pitz said in Manhattan Federal Court.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Fleishmann, 53, told the Daily News he was relieved to have his cash but devastated by the Madoff debacle.
The Staten Island man said he worked for more than 20 years on the legitimate side of Madoff Securities, which turned out to be a front for the Ponzi scheme.
Fleischmann knew nothing about the investment scam that Madoff pleaded guilty to in 2009 and was never charged, he said. His infamous boss is serving a 150-year prison sentence.
Barry Fleischmann smiles after winning a $17 million lottery in 2007. He saved the treasure by not investing it with his boss, Bernard Madoff, as the Ponzi villain wanted.
Cotellessa-Pitz is testifying against operations manager Daniel Bonventre, secretary Annette Bongiorno, office aide Joann Crupi and computer programmers Jerome O’Hara and George Perez under the terms of her 2011 plea deal.
The defendants claim Madoff kept them in the dark about his criminal enterprise.
Fleischmann had his lottery money to fall back on when the company imploded, but other blameless colleagues were left in the lurch.
“The trading room was run squeaky clean,” Fleischmann told The News. “I feel so bad for my friends and so many innocent people who got hurt, and so many people on the legitimate side who now have this on their resume.”
He said he received less than half of the $17 million jackpot because he took it as a lump sum and had to pay taxes on it. Fleischmann recounted talking to Madoff about the lottery cash.
Fleischmann, who worked on the legitimate side of Madoff Securities, had his lottery money to fall back on when Madoff's scheme imploded. Other colleagues were not so lucky.
“I just said something like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll invest with you.’ But he was looking for people to invest a lot more than I was willing or able to,” Fleischmann recalled.
His story was the second light-hearted moment that came out Wednesday with Cotellessa-Pitz on the stand.
While Bonventre schemed, his stepson snoozed, the witness testified. Madoff employee Jeffrey Ferraro spent his workdays sleeping at and under his desk, just like George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” Cotellessa-Pitz said.
“He would sleep at his desk, under his desk. It went on for years,” she said.
Bonventre supervised Ferraro but refused to fire him, the witness testified
Former Madoff employee Barry Fleischmann won a $17 million lottery jackpot in 2007, and asked his boss to invest a chunk of the money — but the Ponzi villain wanted all of it, colleague Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz testified Wednesday in the fraud trial of five former Madoff office workers
Former Bernie Madoff employee Barry Fleischmann asked his boss to invest of chunk of his $17 million lottery winnings in 2007, but Madoff wanted all or nothing. Here, Fleischmann is all smiles after receiving an oversized check for his winnings at the lottery claim center in Garden City, Long Island, on Nov. 3, 2007.
This Bernard Madoff trader got lucky, twice.
Barry Fleischmann won a $17 million lottery jackpot in 2007, not long before Madoff’s Ponzi scheme went bust and thousands of investors lost billions of dollars.
When Fleischmann asked his boss to invest a chunk of his winnings, the Wall Street crook scoffed at his underling and demanded the whole shebang.
“Mr. Madoff said he wanted all of it,” colleague Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz testified Wednesday in the fraud trial of five former Madoff office workers.
Fleischmann luckily decided to keep his loot, a decision that saved his fortune
At the trial for five former Bernie Madoff employees accused of being part of the Ponzi scheme, a colleague said Madoff (pictured) wanted all of Fleischmann's lottery winnings.
“When everything collapsed in 2008, some of us who worked with him said Barry Fleischmann won the lottery twice,” Cotellessa-Pitz said in Manhattan Federal Court.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Fleishmann, 53, told the Daily News he was relieved to have his cash but devastated by the Madoff debacle.
The Staten Island man said he worked for more than 20 years on the legitimate side of Madoff Securities, which turned out to be a front for the Ponzi scheme.
Fleischmann knew nothing about the investment scam that Madoff pleaded guilty to in 2009 and was never charged, he said. His infamous boss is serving a 150-year prison sentence.
Barry Fleischmann smiles after winning a $17 million lottery in 2007. He saved the treasure by not investing it with his boss, Bernard Madoff, as the Ponzi villain wanted.
Cotellessa-Pitz is testifying against operations manager Daniel Bonventre, secretary Annette Bongiorno, office aide Joann Crupi and computer programmers Jerome O’Hara and George Perez under the terms of her 2011 plea deal.
The defendants claim Madoff kept them in the dark about his criminal enterprise.
Fleischmann had his lottery money to fall back on when the company imploded, but other blameless colleagues were left in the lurch.
“The trading room was run squeaky clean,” Fleischmann told The News. “I feel so bad for my friends and so many innocent people who got hurt, and so many people on the legitimate side who now have this on their resume.”
He said he received less than half of the $17 million jackpot because he took it as a lump sum and had to pay taxes on it. Fleischmann recounted talking to Madoff about the lottery cash.
Fleischmann, who worked on the legitimate side of Madoff Securities, had his lottery money to fall back on when Madoff's scheme imploded. Other colleagues were not so lucky.
“I just said something like, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll invest with you.’ But he was looking for people to invest a lot more than I was willing or able to,” Fleischmann recalled.
His story was the second light-hearted moment that came out Wednesday with Cotellessa-Pitz on the stand.
While Bonventre schemed, his stepson snoozed, the witness testified. Madoff employee Jeffrey Ferraro spent his workdays sleeping at and under his desk, just like George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” Cotellessa-Pitz said.
“He would sleep at his desk, under his desk. It went on for years,” she said.
Bonventre supervised Ferraro but refused to fire him, the witness testified
