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The Bag Lady Returns
And here’s more about the MF’s oh-so-innocent spouse: Cohmad rented office space in the same building as Bernard Madoff Securites—where my money was. Sweet little Ruthie also had a desk on the very same premises. Do the math: Three offices in the same building, and she knew nada? Am I missing something here?
Will someone please tell me what the investigators are investigating? Aren’t we at the very least entitled to some more information on why is this man getting away with the financial murder of thousands of people? Speaking of the more than 13,000 victims, sweet innocent Ruthie and her children and her grandchildren are claiming to be victims as well. This witch has 69 million bucks and each member of her family wants $500,000 from SIPC, the agency that insures against securities fraudsters like her hubby the MF. My God, the outrage is beyond the beyond. She’s a sociopath just like her life-partner.
And while I’m on this rant, I’d like to know who are the prosecutors who forgot to include in their original filings that the MF was a danger to the community. He’s a danger to the entire financial community—and to the rest of us—as he sits at his computer, which I saw him doing on 20/20 a few weeks ago. Who’s to say he’s not moving the money around the globe and stashing away the billions of dollar that we invested with him, while she’s dutifully faxing out buy and sell confirmations to people in countries that most of us never heard of.
Older Madoff victims are penniless and many are facing homelesnesss. Who is going to help them out? When will the victims receive any insurance money that is owed to them from SIPC? A year, three years, a half a decade? How do we pay our bills while we’re waiting?
A 90-year-old has to go to work in a supermarket because he’s lost every cent, my entire life has been turned upside down, and countless other victims are much worse off than I am. But sweet innocent little Ruthie—and Bernie—can still share a great chef’s kosher meal in their gorgeous penthouse on innocent Ruthie's delicious millions. I am gagging as I struggle to find a way to pay what I owe for gas and electric.
One last thought: If Ruthie should happen to die from having to haul around all her heavy loot, wouldn’t the victims’ millions go right back to Bernie in his penthouse?
Please, please, please, can someone answer my questions. Anybody out there thinking RICO?
Alexandra Penney is an artist, best-selling author, former editor in chief of Self magazine, and originator, with Evelyn Lauder, of the pink ribbon for breast-cancer awareness. She had a one-person show at Galerie in Berlin in April and her work was shown at Miami’s Art Basel. She lives in New York, has one treasured son in Los Angeles and more amazing friends than could ever be imagined.
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The Bag Lady Writes a Book
Alexandra Penney is an artist, best-selling author, former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, and originator, with Evelyn Lauder, of the Pink Ribbon for breast cancer awareness. Her new book, The Bag Lady Papers, comes out in February from Hyperion. She also had a one-person show at Galerie in Berlin in April and her work was shown at Miami’s Art Basel. She lives in New York, has one treasured son in Los Angeles and more amazing friends than could ever be imagined.
The Bag Lady Photos
Alexandra Penney is an artist, best-selling author, former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, and originator, with Evelyn Lauder, of the Pink Ribbon for breast cancer awareness. Her new book, The Bag Lady Papers, comes out in February from Hyperion. She also had a one-person show at Galerie in Berlin in April and her work was shown at Miami’s Art Basel. She lives in New York, has one treasured son in Los Angeles and more amazing friends than could ever be imagined.
Fantasy Shopper
Alexandra Penney is an artist, best-selling author, former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, and originator, with Evelyn Lauder, of the Pink Ribbon for breast cancer awareness. Her new book, The Bag Lady Papers, comes out in February from Hyperion. She also had a one-person show at Galerie in Berlin in April and her work was shown at Miami’s Art Basel. She lives in New York, has one treasured son in Los Angeles and more amazing friends than could ever be imagined.
raptor
MF cops a plea, and get 2-5 yrs. Ruth can't be forced to testify against her spouse and walks off whistling,"Hava Nagila" or "Let us Rejoice",she then moves to the Caymans and awaits a rehabilitated Bernie who has a sore butt and the rest of the money,
momiller
I sssssssoooooooo terribly weary of listening to people's hard luck stories regarding the loss of funds to bernie. Have you no sense to do "due diligence" and presume that outlandish claims on returns are false..
stcampbell
This kind of rant is beneath the Daily Beast. Just because someone fully deserves to be and feel enraged by this scandal doesn't mean that such intemperate, poorly constructed writing is worthy of being published, and in installments, no less. Enough already.
ArielAZ
Oh, no. PLEASE leave us alone. No more. Please. You're going to get Exploora all riled up again. I haven't even read this yet. But, God help me, here goes...
dsycks
Ms Penney, I feel for you. I feel for all of those people that got ripped off. I also feel for those people who got hit by predatory loan brokers and those who workers whos jobs evaporated as economic markets collapsed. In the end many of them suffer at least as bad as you and none of them have book deals or stories about perfect white shirts to share with the world. I would encourage you to turn your keen eye to the larger world and share the stories of others who have been wronged as well. It will make your own story more interesting by putting it alongside those from different walks of life with other points of view.
socialworklady
AP,
Still intent on doubling down on the Bag Lady moniker, eh?
Okay. Will let the Blue Tarp Bag Ladies Collective know you continue to suffer delusions. They can relate. The last time I spoke with them, they said they really want to meet you -- being that you're sisters in the struggle an' all.
Btw - Your writing is terrible this time out, but at least you sound more real in this blog than you did in the others. Small mercies, I guess.
Unfortunately, I don't think you're going to realize your fantasy of MF suffering much in the way of consequences.My hunch is the MF will plead out to avoid a trial, and then, in due course, expire, a la Ken Lay.
His sons will cop pleas, and then it's anyone's guess.Ruthie will be given a pass and live out her days sipping pina coladas in the Cayman Islands.
You, I imagine, will sit in your cold kitchen and continue to rant and rave until the cows come home. Or the lights go out, or the nice men come to take you away.
Don't worry. You can always come to the Frozen North and live with the bag ladies of the Blue Tarp Collective. You are growing on them. They admire your pluck and stubborn insistence that you are one of them. Go figure.
ArielAZ
Alexandra is just jealous of Ruth because she can't afford another lift now. She's also probably facing the hard fact that she doesn't have another book in her. Writing not going well, Alex? Maybe all that ugly rage inside of you is getting in the way. If I had a choice of spending an evening with the Madoffs or you, I'd gladly choose the Madoffs, kosher or unkosher.
pericles21
Alexandra,
You so bad!!! Love ya.
museweaver
ms. Bag Lady,
This is my first read of your column but I have wanted to ask any one of Madoff's vicitims why you invested with him in the first place? I've heard many pundits say the returns he promised his investors were too good to be true. When did you realize the money you were making with his group was too good to be true? Or did you?
perkins
"My God, the outrage is beyond the beyond."
Your cat wrote this, right?
CountRaoul
Y'all gotta let up on AP. Don't you get it? She lost all her money to a crook! She can rant all she wants if you ask me. Don't like it... dont' read it. Sure there are plenty of other people worse off than Alexandra, but damn. She lost everything! She's scramblin' to make some money writing a transparent blog and maybe a book. I hope she sells 10 million copies.
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socialworklady
pricklypear,
AP is not a target of anger, she's a target of derision. And justly so given her bizarre insistence on calling herself a Bag Lady.
Time to get real.
exploora
Well, the world isn't fair, and sometimes you have to forgive or the anger can possess you.
Unless you can find a way to get even of course.
Sadly, I suspect many of the elderly clients could die before this is all straightened out.
So, we need more books with multi climaxes, comic release, and a happy ending. So let the book flow, it will. It did before. It is always there, just forgive those idiots, to a point, never forget, but free your mind so your book can flow, maybe the anger would be good for the book, of course you have to control it though, it can't control you.
This crime is not just about the money, it is about the violation, the breach of trust and duty, and all that stuff. And the huge shock.
The huge shock I would suspect would haunt you sort of like post traumatic stress disorder.
And Perkins shame on you for being so rude to Ms. Penney.
Thank you.
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