news-record.com

Bernard Madoff’s investment web has snared one of Greensboro’s most well-known residents — Bonnie McElveen-Hunter.

Hunter and Edwin J. Cline of Jamestown appear on a list of several thousand clients who invested with Madoff, a prominent Wall Street figure who federal prosecutors say lost more than $50 billion in client funds through a series of fraudulent investments.

McElveen-Hunter, chairman of the American Red Cross, former U.S. ambassador to Finland and head of Pace Communications, declined to comment Thursday, according to her Greensboro office.

Her husband, Greensboro attorney Bynum M. Hunter, referred questions to his wife, who was in Washington.

The 162-page list, made public in a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, does not say how much McElveen-Hunter or any of the clients lost, nor does it spell out their connections to Madoff.

Cline acknowledged he had invested with Madoff, but would not say how much he had lost.

“Other than the fact that I was a longtime investor, I really can’t say much because of an impending lawsuit,” Cline said. “I hope I get some money back.”

Cline, who said he did not know Madoff personally, began investing with him when living in Boston. Now retired from a job in textile sales, Cline has been living in Guilford County for 81/2 years.

Madoff’s list of customers included some impressive names: Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax, CNN host Larry King, actor John Malkovich and Larry Silverstein, the World Trade Center developer.

Other celebrities who previously disclosed losing money to Madoff were not on the list, including married actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick and 91-year-old actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.

According to court papers, the list included the names of people and entities that appeared to have been customers of Madoff’s during the 12-month period leading up to his arrest in December.

Many of those who lost money with Madoff did so through investment “feeder” funds, which turned money over to the New York money manager.

Their names would not have been listed individually in Madoff’s books, and would be included in the court’s list only if they have stepped forward to make claims.

The list also included entities such as Steven Spielberg’s Wunderkinder Foundation, organizations associated with the late singer John Denver, and the Elie Wiesel Foundation, named for the Jewish writer and activist.

Madoff is being held under house arrest at his multimillion-dollar penthouse in New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com