A federal judge’s ruling in the Bernard Madoff bankruptcy case on Monday means a prominent Boston-area philanthropist could soon be forced to return some of the $1-billion in profits he and his foundation collected from investments with the disgraced financier, money that some charities had hoped to receive, The Boston Globe reports.

Burton R. Lifland, a U.S. bankruptcy judge, on Monday rejected arguments by Carl Shapiro and other Madoff investors that they should be allowed to claim as their total losses in the scam the amount that appeared on their final account statements. The judge sided with bankruptcy trustee Irving Picard, who said investors could only claim the amount of their original stake with Mr. Madoff’s firm.

The 97-year-old Mr. Shapiro said his family foundation lost $145-million in the scam. The fund stopped new spending in the wake of the scandal but pledged to honor existing commitments.

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