Funeral home claims Madoff’s body, service not set
NEW YORK, USA — The body of Mark Madoff was claimed by a funeral director on behalf of his family Tuesday, one day after his imprisoned father, Bernard Madoff, said he would not seek to attend the funeral.
Mark Madoff, 46, hanged himself with a black dog leash in his SoHo apartment on Saturday, the second anniversary of his father’s arrest on charges he cheated thousands of people out of tens of billions of dollars.
The family hasn’t announced any funeral arrangements, and it’s unclear whether they will hold a service.
The body was brought from a city morgue to the Gramercy Park Memorial Chapel.
The suicide came while the Madoff family faced increased scrutiny in the form of a court-appointed trustee trying to recover money for investors by filing dozens of lawsuits to meet a deadline.
The actions of Mark Madoff — along with those of his brother, Andrew Madoff, and his uncle Peter Madoff — have been studied by investigators trying to learn how Bernard Madoff was able to carry out such a large fraud without a wider circle of people knowing about it.
Madoff’s brother and sons held management positions at the family investment business. They have not been charged with any crimes.
On Monday, attorney Ira Sorkin said Bernard Madoff will mourn privately at the North Carolina prison where he’s serving a 150-year sentence. Sorkin declined to say whether Madoff considered asking to attend his son’s funeral, though it’s unlikely he would have been allowed to go even if he wanted to.
Mark Madoff leaves behind four children, ages 18, 16, 4 and 2, and his wife.