Ruth Madoff Now Free To Leave The Country

Now that Ruth Madoff has settled with the feds—giving up her various homes and assets in exchange for $2.5 million—the feds have returned her passport to her. Unfortunately, that chateau of hers was seized in March! Madoff had to give up her passport when she put up the bail for her Ponzi-scheming husband Bernard, who is now serving a 150-year sentence. The debate rages on whether Ruth knew about Bernie's dealings; in NY Magazine's "Poor Ruth" feature this week, some point to how she worshipped her husband—"She would tell me all the time, ‘Don’t you think he’s fabulous, don’t you think he’s great?’"—perhaps to the point of being blind while others say, "He conferred with her on everything. The idea that she didn’t know anything is laughable."