An attorney for a former aide to Bernard Madoff urged the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday to give his client a chance to access funds the government has seized so that he can pay for his legal defense. Prosecutors seized about $3.9 million in assets belonging to Daniel Bonventre, 66, the former operations manager at Madoff’s firm, in January 2011. They argue the assets are tainted by Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Bonventre’s attorney, Andrew Frisch, said Thursday he has not taken fees from Bonventre since prosecutors warned him in a December 2010 letter not to draw on his defense fund because it might be subject to forfeiture if Bonventre is convicted. Former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones in Manhattan had denied Bonventre’s motion to vacate the government’s seizure warrants. Frisch argued to a three-judge appeals court panel that his client is entitled to a hearing in the lower court over the matter. More on Reuters here.
