Madoff's family abused his corporate American Express card

NEW YORK - The credit card bill is a 30-page study in conspicuous consumption. A quick scan shows a restaurant charge of more than $2,800, $2,000 in spending at a Parisian boutique and $441 at a gourmet bagel shop. The total amount due: more than $100,000.

Eye-popping numbers aside, the American Express statement from January 2008 has taken on broader meaning because of the notorious name on the corporate account: Bernard L. Madoff.

And the vast majority of the charges aren't even his; they belong to his family and associates.

Of the $100,121.99 bill from Jan. 23, 2008, Madoff's wife, Ruth, was the top spender, ringing up $29,887.94 in charges. They included a $2,000.01 purchase at a Giorgio Armani outlet in Paris, and $1,214.10 at a Diane Firsten shop in Cincinnati about a week later.