Top Notch Stand up Guy

[gonzo]

He's the Grinch who stole . . . everything.

Accused mega-swindler Bernard Madoff yesterday skulked out of his Upper East Side penthouse and went into hiding as scores more charities, banks and individual investors revealed that they face financial ruin from his alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

"He's an evil person. It's morally disgraceful," said Rep. Peter King (R-LI), who yesterday called for a congressional probe of the scam.

King said he recently attended several Christmas parties where guests included people who lost tens of millions of dollars in investments entrusted to Madoff, 70, who was busted by federal authorities last week.
One party guest pointed around a room, saying, "That guy lost $10 million, and that guy lost so many millions," King recalled.

Madoff seemed maniacal about keeping his scam going to the end.
As recently as Thanksgiving, he was pushing pals to invest more money with him, telling them he could work wonders in the volatile market, a source told The Post.

Madoff's alleged fraud has especially hurt charities linked to his own Jewish faith.

SAR Academy, a Jewish day school in The Bronx, is believed to have lost up to $4 million in endowment money placed with the firm.
The Chais Family Foundation, which gave more than $12 million annually to Jewish causes in Israel and Europe, has already shuttered its doors because of its losses.

Two Manhattan-based civil-liberties groups - the JEHT Foundation and The Rockit Fund - said they were set to close in January because of the fraud.

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has lost millions in Madoff's scam, The Wall Street Journal reports today.

Daily News owner and real-estate mogul Mort Zuckerman yesterday said his Mortimer B. Zuckerman Charitable Remainder Trust lost $30 million - 10 percent of its total assets.