BUSINESS BRIEFING / COURTS

A federal bankruptcy judge signed off on a plan to raise tens of thousands of dollars for victims of the Bernard Madoff fraud by auctioning off pricey New York Mets season tickets owned by the disgraced financier’s investment firm.

Before signing an order allowing a court-appointed trustee to sell the tickets at the Mets’ new ballpark to the highest bidder, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland playfully suggested that the team needed to rebound from its mediocre start to help the cause.

“Suppose the trustee would wait a couple of months to see if the Mets do well?” Burton quipped at a brief hearing in a lower Manhattan courthouse.

The tickets had already been put up for sale for single games through this weekend while the plan to dump the entire season ticket package was worked out.

The block of tickets for the remaining home games starting April 24 -- valued at roughly $60,000 -- will be put up for a one-week auction on EBay starting sometime this week. Bids will begin at $30,000. The winning bidder will get access to an exclusive restaurant located behind home plate, a parking pass and other perks.