Madoff’s prison number proves lucky

Ralph Amendolaro (Queens, N.Y.) saw Bernie Madoff in a prison outfit and noticed his prisoner number.  He used the last three digits, 054, to play the New York State Lottery’s Number game and was lucky.  He won $1,500 on a $9 investment or 16,000%.

It appears that 500 other people also played that number which seems more than coincidental since the day before, only 120 played 054.

Amendolaro is quoted as saying that Madoff would “probably look to charge me on the investment that I made off of him.”

See Erin Durkin, Bernie Madoff’s pain is a Queens man’s gain as Ponzi schemer’s jail number is a Lotto winner, NY Daily News, March 24, 2009.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Attorney at law, Florida Probate Attorney Wills and Estates Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.