Ruth Madoff Wants $13K Palm Beach Tax Rebate Check

Ruth Madoff may have signed a deal with the feds, giving up her homes and assets in exchange for $2.5 million, but does that mean she can keep a property tax rebate check for one of those homes? According to the Palm Beach Post, since the Madoffs' Palm Beach mansion was overvalued, the couple was issued a $13,800 rebate: "Ruth Madoff recently sent the uncashed refund check back to Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon, with a letter dated Aug. 23 asking that it be reissued in her name alone." A Florida tax law expert, Richard Rampelli, surmised, "She wants to have unfettered access to the money, clearly." Hey, Metrocards are expensive! Her attorney claims that the money will go "where it is supposed to go" and points out she is "obliged to assist the government in recovering any covered assets," but Rampelli thinks she could have just given the check to the government to deal with. At any rate, the check will not be reissued in Ruth's name alone—Palm Beach County Tax Collector "said the law requires her to write rebate checks to whoever paid the original bill - and in this case, both Madoffs' names were on the original check."