Ralph Amendolaro, a Queens construction worker, is cashing in today with a little help from, of all people, convicted felon Bernie Madoff.

Though not a regular purchaser of lottery tickets, Mr. Amendolaro told the NYDN he purchases tickets when a number catches his eye. After noticing one such number – 054, the last three digits of Madoff’s prison ID – Amendolaro said to himself, “I’m going to be a winner with this guy even though everyone lost money with him.” Adding, “Somebody had to get a little lucky with him.”

A little lucky, indeed.

After placing a $3 bet once a day for 3 days, Mr. Amendolaro’s “lucky number” came up.  For his petty $9 investment – a far cry from those made by others on Madoff’s investment scheme – Amendolaro will cash in his ticket for $1,500.

No word yet on whether Mr. Amendolaro will pursue similar reparations from Mr. Madoff’s ponzi companion, President Barack Obama. The former swindler, of course, pleaded guilty to securities fraud and robbing American investors to the tune of $65 billion; the latter managed to dupe voters out of $787 billion in one fell swoop.

Cross-posted at Redstate.com.