| Barbara Picower | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Jew |
| Occupation | Philanthropist, Charity Fundraiser |
| Spouse | Jeffry Picower |
Barbara Picower[1] is Jeffry Picower's widow. She and her daughters were willed some $250 million from Jeffry's estate. The Picowers were family friends, early investors and massive beneficiaries of Bernard Madoff's criminal Ponzi scheme over 35 years, as was revealed in 2008. Her husband Jeffry had died of heart attack and drowning in 2009, and Bernard Madoff's son Mark died of suicide in 2010. Barbara reached an agreement in 2010 with Irving Picard and others to return $7.2 billion in illegitimate Picower proceeds to the public trustee of later Madoff investors who have lost an estimated $12 to $20 billion.[2][3]