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NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Bernard Madoff wanted a former employee to invest all of his $17 million in lottery winnings with the convicted Ponzi schemer's firm, says a former colleague. Enrica Cotellessa-Pitz testified the former colleague, Barry Fleischmann, wanted to invest only a portion of his new fortune with his boss, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
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"Mr. Madoff said he wanted all of it," Cotellessa-Pitz testified in Manhattan federal court during the fraud trial of five former Madoff office workers.
With Madoff's all-or-nothing demand, Fleischmann decided to keep the money, she said.
"When everything collapsed in 2008, some of us who worked with him said Barry Fleischmann won the lottery twice," Cotellessa-Pitz added.
She testified under a 2011 plea deal against her former co-workers: operations manager Daniel Bonventre, secretary Annette Bongiorno, office aide Joann Crupi and computer programmers Jerome O'Hara and George Perez.
In an interview, Fleischmann said he worked for Madoff for 20 years, but knew nothing about the investment scam.
Recalling his conversation with Madoff, Fleischmann said: "I just said something like, 'Oh, maybe I'll invest with you.' But he was looking for people to invest a lot more than I was willing or able to."
