Curse of the Ponzi apartment?

Bernard Madoff and his former penthouse apartment at 133 East 64th Street

Last April, after toy tycoon Al Kahn purchased the former penthouse home of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff for $8 million at 133 East 64th Street, his wife, Patsy, told the New York Post that he “was worried about the [apartment’s] karma” — turns out, he may have had reason to be concerned. The duplex home between Lexington and Park avenues is still vacant, sources say, and a mysterious blaze may be to blame, according to the Post. Compounding the Kahns’ problems are purported marital problems and a disappointing collection of offers on their former home, a 62nd-floor unit at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. While they have nailed down a buyer, the couple has been offered around $20 million — a far cry from the unit’s $33 million asking price when it first hit the market last year. [Post]