Cases by industry
Legal & litigation funding Ponzi schemes
17 cases announced 2007–2026, involving about $1.9B in reported investor money. Most cases came from California, Florida and Minnesota.
The largest by reported amount: Rothstein Rosenfeldt and Adler P.A. ($1.2B, 2009). Charges are allegations unless a court has entered a conviction or judgment.
Pitch phrases seen in these cases
- “guaranteed high returns of 10% to 17.5% per month”
- “could not pay”
- “12.5 percent quarterly returns”
- “risk-free”
- “potentially larger payout”
- “relatively safe returns”
- “millions or billions of dollars for every $1,000 invested”
- “300 percent to 480 percent profit return each year”
Cases
| Date | Case | Location | Industry | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2026 | EZ Cash, EZ Capital Brett Schraber |
Orono, MN | Legal & litigation funding | $100M |
| Sep 4, 2024 | Creative Legal Fundings, The Ubiquity Group LLC Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson |
Sacramento, CA | Legal & litigation funding | $7M |
| Feb 1, 2023 | Girardi Keese Thomas Vincent Girardi |
Pasadena, CA | Legal & litigation funding | $15M |
| Sep 27, 2022 | Pinder Associates Inc Judith Dianne Paris-Pinder |
Miami, FL | Legal & litigation funding | $4.6M |
| May 24, 2022 | Trust & Investment Advisory Services of Indiana Inc. Sven Eric Marshall Jr. |
South Bend, IN | Legal & litigation funding | $1.9M |
| Apr 15, 2022 | Matthew Beasley, Jeffrey Judd, Christopher Humphries | Las Vegas, NV | Legal & litigation funding | $450M |
| Aug 20, 2021 | deeproot Funds LLC, Policy Services Inc. Robert J. Mueller |
San Antonio, TX | Legal & litigation funding | $58M |
| Sep 25, 2020 | Mazzone Films David Wade Watson, Rajshree Patel |
Cape Canaveral, FL | Legal & litigation funding | $2.5M |
| Jan 17, 2020 | Akbar Williams & Associates Legal Services Corporation Malik Akbar'El (aka Tyrone David Williams) |
Little Rock, AR | Legal & litigation funding | $644,331 |
| Nov 28, 2017 | Danny P. Butler | Campbellsville, KY | Legal & litigation funding | $1.3M |
| May 4, 2017 | Verto Capital Management LLC William R. Schantz III |
Moorestown, NJ | Legal & litigation funding | $12.5M |
| Apr 15, 2016 | PLCMGMT LLC (aka PLC, Prometheus Law) James Catipay, David Aldrich |
Los Angeles, CA | Legal & litigation funding | $11.7M |
| Dec 1, 2015 | James A. Torchia | Canton, GA | Legal & litigation funding | $30M |
| Nov 7, 2011 | Michael W. Kwasnik, William M. Kwasnik | North Miami Beach, FL | Legal & litigation funding | $13M |
| Dec 8, 2009 | Rockford Funding Group LLC Genadi Yagodayev |
New York, NY | Legal & litigation funding | $11M |
| Dec 1, 2009 | Rothstein Rosenfeldt and Adler P.A. Scott Rothstein |
Fort Lauderdale, FL | Legal & litigation funding | $1.2B |
| Aug 24, 2007 | Donald F. Neuhaus, Kimberly A. Snowden | Redding, CA | Legal & litigation funding | $25M |