Madoff assets auction raises $3 million

NEW YORK: In less than a week, the US Marshals Service has raised $3 million for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff, selling off his personal assets including a teak-accented yacht, diamond earrings and a New York Mets jacket.

The agency plans to hold two or three more sales, though they haven't been scheduled yet. All the proceeds are to go to victims of Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme.

On Tuesday, his three powerboats and a Mercedes-Benz fetched $1.1 million at an auction in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Last weekend dozens of items owned by Madoff and his wife Ruth, including her diamond earrings and his Mets sports jacket, raised more than $900,000 in Manhattan.