Malibu's Burt Ross to Discuss $500,000 Bribe from Mafia

Burt Ross, a Malibu resident, is best known for both turning down and losing money.

Back in the early 1970s, Burt was elected mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey at the age of 28. At the time, he was the youngest mayor of a large town in the country.

Ross became well known when he turned down a $500,000 bribe from the mafia, wore a wire for the FBI, and testified in federal court. Members of organized crime were sent to prison based on his testimony.

Ross will speak about the bribe and how he had his life threatened at a talk at the Pepperdine University Library's Surfboard Room at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6.

In addition to turning down the bribe, Ross lost millions of dollars in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. He became one of a handful of people to speak out for the thousands of investors who were betrayed. Ross spoke at Madoff’s sentencing hearing.

Malibu Patch readers should be used to hearing Burt Ross' humorous take on life in his weekly column "Burt's Eye View," which explores Malibu through the eyes of a recently transplanted East Coaster.

Ross and his wife Joan moved to Malibu a little more than a year ago to be closer to their children.

RSVP for the free talk by emailing ken.lazebnik@pepperdine.edu.