Picower had heart attack
JEFFRY PICOWER, the millionaire philanthropist who was a prominent Bernard Madoff investor, accidentally drowned in his pool after suffering a heart attack, police investigating his death said last night.
Picower, 67, was pulled unconscious from the pool of his multimillion-dollar oceanside home in Palm Beach on Sunday and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Picower and his wife, Barbara, were described in court documents as among the biggest beneficiaries of Madoff’s $65bn (£33.8bn) Ponzi scheme. Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence after pleading guilty.
The trustee handling the Madoff fraud case said in New York court documents last month that Picower, listed as one of the 400 wealthiest Americans by Forbes magazine, was complicit in the fraud. Picower’s lawyer said the accusations were false and outrageous.