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.

Superior Court Judge Stephen Neel said the main question was whether Mr Galvin could compel Mr Jaffe to return to Massachusetts from Florida and gave lawyers until tomorrow to submit additional arguments.