The Cognito PR group has done it again. Last year, to add a little levity to the miserable doldrums of Wall Street, Cognito came up with some special cocktails for its holiday party with names like the CosmoPaulson and the TARPatini.

Four boats seized by U.S. authorities from imprisoned swindler Bernard Madoff and his right-hand man, Frank DiPascali, sold for nearly $2 million at auction on Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Frank DiPascali, swindler Bernard Madoff's right-hand man who admitted helping his boss run a decades-long multibillion dollar fraud, was moved from a New York jail but he remains in custody, law enforcement sources said on Tuesday.

People came from near and far to bid on Bernie Madoff's things—and they paid a premium for a little piece of this dark chapter of US history. Ruth's baubles were some of the hottest items—several pairs of earnings went for $70,000 or more. One wooden duck decoy sold for nearly $5,000.

National Liquidators handled the successful sale of  Bernard Madoff's three boats, a Mercedes convertible, and a fourth boat once owned by Madoff's right-hand man Frank DiPascali. All totaled, the auction raised more than $2 million for Madoff's victims.