The sister of late financier Bernie Madoff and her husband were found dead in their Florida home in what police suspect to be an apparent murder-suicide.

Sondra Wiener, 87, and her husband Marvin, 90, were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds on Thursday afternoon at their home in the Valencia Lakes area outside of Boynton Beach. The couple wasn’t publically identified until Sunday by authorities.

“Detectives from the Violent Crimes Division arrived on scene to investigate further. After further investigation it appears to be a murder/suicide,” the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The official cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office. Police have not revealed who they suspect may have been responsible for the apparent murder-suicide.

The Associated Press reported a woman who identified as the wife of the couple’s son, David Wiener, requested privacy “at this time of grief.” When she was contacted by phone, she said, “We are not making any comment at this time.”

Madoff was the chairman of Bernie Madoff Investment Securities firm, where he pulled off a massive Ponzi scheme that scammed charities and investors out of their fortunes.

The Weiners, who also reportedly lost millions from Madoff’s scam, were also sued by the trustee representing Madoff’s fraud victims.

Madoff received a sentence of 150 years in 2009 after pleading guilty to fraud and other charges. He died in prison in April 2021 at the age of 82.

2. Bernie Madoff
2. Bernie Madoff ($17 billion) - Now serving 150 years in a maximum-security prison, Madoff was a former NASDAQ stock exchange chairman. He ran the world's largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding his investors for over $50 billion. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
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