Madoff man skips hearing

A US judge is considering whether to force an associate of alleged pyramid scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff to give evidence after he failed to appear at a hearing with Massachusetts securities regulators.

Lawyers for Robert Jaffe, who helped raise money for Madoff in Massachusetts and Florida, challenged the subpoena from secretary of state William Galvin, whose lawyers argue that he has the authority to require Mr Jaffe to testify.