More charges possible in Bear Stearns case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government is considering bringing further criminal charges in the case involving two former Bear Stearns executives indicted last month related to the collapse of two hedge funds they oversaw, a federal prosecutor said on Friday.

In a court hearing in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Sinclair said "the government is indeed contemplating additional charges."

He did not provide any details about the potential charges, but said the government is working to make a final decision about bringing additional charges in the next few months.

"We are looking to have that resolved by early fall at the absolute latest," Sinclair said.

Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin were charged on June 19 with conspiracy and securities fraud related to the demise of the two funds last year, which spurred questions about oversight and risk management at Bear Stearns. The firm was sold in March to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) in an emergency takeover brokered by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

(Reporting by Martha Graybow; Writing by Emily Chasan, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)