madoffscandal

The three boats that once belonged to Bernie Madoff generated more than a million dollars for victims of his $65 billion Ponzi scheme on Tuesday. Seventy bidders registered with National Liquidators to chase after the boats, along with a Mercedes and another yacht owned by Madoff's CFO, Frak DiPascali.

"Bull," which was Madoff's 55-foot yacht, sold for $700,000, with the 38-foot "Sitting Bull" following at $320,000 and the 24-foot "Little Bull" fetching a mere $21,000. His 1999 Mercedes Benz CLK 320 convertible was good for $30,000, despite the fact that it has only 12,827 miles on it. The top seller was DiPasclai's 61-foot 2003 Viking sport fishing yacht, which sold for $950,000 at the auction.

The sales were helped along by the fact that Madoff took excellent care of his yachts. Bob Toney, president of National Liquidators, told Bloomberg News, "Mr. Madoff has taken better care of his yachts than anyone else I know," continuing, "they were crew-maintained all the time."

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's Little Bull

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's Sitting Bull

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's The Bull

The latest "Bull" from Bernie Madoff is about to be unloaded. His yacht, which bears that name, will join two others under the gavel, and the action before the sale is already impressive. So far, 29 people have thrown down the $100,000 deposit needed to gain a ticket to the party, and the U.S. Marshals Service expects more registrations to come.

There's a theme in the both names. His largest yacht, a 55-foot 1969 Rybovitch sportfisher is called "Bull," and the other two, a 38-footer and a 24-footer, are named "Sitting Bull" and "Little Bull," respectively. Also, Frank DiPascali's 61-foot Viking fishing yacht will be auctioned off on Tuesday. DiPascali was Madoff's CFO.

Non-maritime lots to wind up on the block include a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible, with only 12,800 miles on it.

The auction has not been given a presale estimate, figuring that the Madoff name can push prices higher. This is exactly what happened over the weekend, when an auction of the felon's personal effects brought in north of $1 million.

Says Jennifer Crane of the asset forfeiture division of the U.S. Marshals Service, "You can't really put a price on this."

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's Little Bull

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's Sitting Bull

Gallery: Bernie Madoff's The Bull

Bernie Madoff's last home may have sold strong, but it looks like the momentum is fading. His home in the Hamptons beat the listing price and ultimately moved for more than $9.4 million. Unfortunately for his victims, interest in his Manhattan penthouse and Palm Beach estate isn't as strong. The prices for both have been cut, as the Ponzi schemer moves from news to history. Both homes have been on the market for only two months.

The Manhattan home, on the Upper East Side, offers 4,000 square feet which the broker, Sotheby's International Realty, says is "perched atop a distinguished white-glove prewar cooperative." Originally offered at $9.9 million, the asking price has been slashed by $1 million. So, if you're looking for some new digs in the city, this should be perched atop your list. A 10 percent price drop after only two months in the game means that you could probably work the price down a little bit further. If you were a Madoff investor, think of it as recouping some of what was so wrongly taken from you.

The situation in Palm Beach, Florida isn't much better. The discount is only 7 percent, with the price plunging from $8.49 million to $7.9 million according to the Corcoran Group, which is handling the sale. This home is billed as "a return to classic Florida island living ... when Palm Beach was a less manicured tropical paradise." What does that mean? Does classical Florida island living have anything to do with defrauding the neighbors?

Madoff, now a resident of Butner, North Carolina, believed that the Manhattan apartment was worth only $7 million. He pegged the Palm Beach residence at $11 million.

When both properties move, the proceeds will go to Madoff's victims. Of the $65 million, roughly, that he took, $1.4 billion is said to have been recovered. Even when compared to the investor losses identified, $21.2 billion, it's but a drop in the bucket. The auction scheduled for Saturday may help a little bit, with Bernie's Mets jacket and Ruth's golf clubs going under the gavel.

Gallery: Bernie Madoff In New York City

If you were waiting for the bottom, it looks like you just missed it. Home prices in the Hamptons are on their way back up, rising 4.7 percent in the third quarter. Houses priced in the range of $2 million to $5 million led the charge. In fact, the number of properties clocking in at more than $2 million (including the former getaway of Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, which went for $9.41 million) jumped 44 percent -- 46 sales occurred from July through September this year. And, the median price for this part of Long Island increased from $860,000 last year to $900,000 this year.

The action appears to have been driven by buyers who'd normally look for something close to $10 million ... who began to see what they could get for a mere 20 percent of that price. When opportunity knocks ... you know the drill.

Even with this bit of good news, the number of homes sold last quarter fell 2.3 percent, with those fetching less than $500,000 posting the largest decline (22 percent). So, all isn't rosy in the land of the wealthy, unless of course, you're still wealthy.

The world's most accomplished Ponzi schemer -- right up until he got caught, that is -- finally lost his beach home. Bernie Madoff's Montauk house moved for $9.41 million, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, more than the $8.75 million for which it was listed. It sold on Friday, and the buyer is not being named. It only took a month to make the transaction happen.

Joseph Guccione, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York, calls this "another step forward for the government," and though he didn't mention anything about the victims, one assumes that it's progress for them, too. After all, it would be nice if they got even a taste of this cash.

Several bidders tried to get their hands on Madoff's former home, which measures 3,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The losers can have another shot at Madoff glory, though, as properties in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, are listed. The former is on the market for $9.9 million, and the latter is listed for $8.49 million.

Madoff was unable to take a last walk through the halls of the Long Island residence, of course, because he's otherwise detained committed in Butner, North Carolina. But, he's adapting, having already thrown down on the block and earned himself some props.