Jan 1, 2009 7:00 am US/Pacific
Thieves 'Educate' Madoff On Stolen Property
PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS) ―
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Bernard Madoff walks down Lexington Ave to his apartment on Dec.17, 2008, in New York City.
Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images
Thieves calling themselves "The Educators" have returned a statue stolen from disgraced investment guru Bernie Madoff. And they hope the Wall Street money manager has learned his lesson.
CBS Affiliate WPEC reports that the $10,000 copper sculpture of two lifeguards turned up Wednesday along a bicycle path
A worker found the statue near the country club Madoff belonged to, just a few blocks from Madoff's Palm Beach home.
A note attached read: "Bernie the Swindler, Lesson: Return stolen property to rightful owners. Signed by - The Educators."
When told of the scolding missive, one woman told WPEC correspondent Ashley Glass, "New Year's is about messages, right?"
The statue was reported missing Dec. 22, about a week after Madoff was arrested on charges he bilked investors out of more than $50 billion. His clients included major banks, charities and retirees.
The statue, which did not appear to be damaged, now sits in the evidence room of the Palm Beach Police Department.
Meanwhile, the disgraced money manager gave the Securities and Exchange Commission a list of his personal assets Wednesday, but investors may have to wait to learn whether the filing contained any clues as to the whereabouts of their missing billions.
Madoff, now under house arrest, had faced a court-ordered deadline of Dec. 31 to turn over a detailed accounting of his homes, stock holdings, bank accounts and other business interests.
The list was also supposed to include the names and locations of any bank or brokerage accounts holding whatever remains of his clients' money.
The SEC confirmed Wednesday evening that it had received the filing, but it declined to reveal details or make the documents available to journalists.
The list was not filed publicly in any of the courts handling the Madoff case, and SEC spokesmen said no decision had been made as to whether part or all of the asset disclosure would ultimately be made public.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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