This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and criminal proceedings involving , a Lubbock-based company accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded over 400 investors of more than $100 million . 1. Background: The 2021 Escalation
New York usury laws cap interest rates on loans at 16% for corporations (and 25% for non-bank lenders). The defendant argued Ferrum’s 2.5x multiplier effectively represented an annual interest rate exceeding 150%—making the agreement criminally usurious and thus unenforceable. Ferrum countered that litigation funding is not a "loan" but an "investment" in a legal asset, exempt from usury laws. This became the central legal battleground. ferrum capital lawsuit 2021