by Structured Settlement Watchdog
Ongoing use of trademarked insurance company logos by Florida based merchants to market the sale of structured settlement receivables to investors should be a concern for insurance companies, investors and state insurance regulators in Florida and elsewhere
1. Using Prudential’s trademarked “Rock” logo without permission
The Prudential logo is one of the most recognizable insurance trademarks in the world. The page shows that MJ Settlements is placing this logo in its social‑media marketing to make its investment pitches look as if they are connected to, endorsed by, or backed by Prudential.
This is a serious misrepresentation, because:
- The use of the logo creates a false sense of legitimacy and safety for investors. .MJ Settlements is using Prudential’s globally recognized trademarked branded logo and has also misrepresented the name of Prudential’s company that issues structured settlement annuities, to solicit investors through social media.
- Prudential has not authorized MJ Settlements to use its branding in this manner..
- The product being sold by MJ Settlements is not an annuity, let alone a Prudential annuity.
Prudential Life Insurance Company is not the underwriting company for Prudential’s structured settlement annuities; that role belongs to The Prudential Insurance Company of America, an organization with over 150 years of experience
MJ Settlements is using and capitalizing on The Prudential’s brand to sell a product (in the form offered for sale to investors) that arises from a structured settlement factoring transaction, assignment from a transferee and a possible payment servicing agreement.
Who Owns and Runs MJ Settlements?
- According to the Florida of State, MJ Settlements is registered under Ricia Lesk.
- Ricia Lesk has been married to Todd Lesk for 27 years.
- Todd Lesk serves as the CEO of MJ Settlements, as per his LinkedIn profile.
- The company previously operated under the name MJ Structured Settlement Annuities.
- Ricia Lesk does not appear to possess an insurance license in Florida [Source: Online search Florida Department of Financial Services, May 31, 2025]. Todd Lesk was permanently barred by FINRA in October 2023.
- Todd Lesk’s FINRA regulatory record includes a 1/20/2024 “Statement of Claim,” which alleges that RR (Lesk) used his position of trust to provide a false layer of legitimacy to structured settlement activities.” See Todd Michael Lesk – Investment Adviser and Todd Michael Lesk – BrokerCheck
The LinkedIn page for MJ Settlements seems to feature only two male employees. The displayed images include Todd Lesk and another individual, who could potentially be his father Leonard Lesk, who is listed as the Registered Agent of the company in the Florida Secretary of State records.
MJ Settlements was founded in 2023. Todd Lesk actively markets structured settlement receivables on social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn and X, without using the term “receivables”
The MJ Structured Settlement Annuities Big Blooper – Structured Settlements 4Real® 2025 March 14, 2017 [Lesk notoriously advertised “with assailant each secondary market structured settlement”]
MJ Structured Settlement Annuities in Deceptive Structured Settlement Marketing – Structured Settlements 4Real® 2025 March 14, 2014
I have been monitoring Lesk’s misleading advertising practices since 2012. Thirteen years ago, Lesk published an alleged testimonial on AOL, which I referenced in a blog published May 15, 2012. (Note: the links in the Lesk advertisement are no longer active, as Lesk later rebranded as MJSettlements and used the URL mjsettlements(dot)com.) If it was a genuine testimonial from a real customer, it (1) clearly demonstrated that receivables were being misrepresented as an annuity (which they were not) and (2) showed that the MJ consumer believed they were purchasing an annuity rather than the receivable itself.
“Long Island, NY – MJ Structured Settlement Annuities
http://www.mjstructuredsettlementannuities.com/Secondary-Market-Structured-Long-Island…
“The process was effortless and smooth. I received my annuity package within days. Todd made everything easy and understandable. We successfully rolled my … (Source 5/15/2012 search for Long Island Structured Settlements on AOL.com)”
In May 2025, Todd Lesk posted another MJ Settlements structured settlement receivable offer for sale on Facebook bearing the purported name of the payor insurer as Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company. Berkshire Hathaway LIfe Insurance Company of Nebraska is the underwriting company for Berkshire Hathaway structured settlement annuities outside of New York. Lazybird Lesk could have easily verified the correct name Berkshire Hathaway Life – Insurance – Group of Companies before misleading targets of the advertising.
Others I discovered today include Allstate Life, that no longer exists under that name. Depending on whether it was the New York Company or the Allstate Life Insurance Company, it could be Wilton Re Life or Everlake Life.
MJ Settlements Does Not Mention Payment Servicing Requirements in Any of its Social Media Ads
How many indivduals did Lesk sell receivables to as “annuities”, or otherwise, that were serviced by SuttonPark? Payment Servicing Arrangement May Be a Requirement of Annuity Issuer NOT Factoring Company – Structured Settlements 4Real® Blog: Structured Settlements | Settlement Planning News and John Darer Reviews
MJ Settlements Misuses the Term ” Secondary Market Annuity” to Promote Investments in Structured Settlement Receivables that DO NOT qualify as an Annuity
- Encountering a marketer such as Lesk, who falsely promotes structured settlement receivables as annuities, accompanied by insurance company logos, should be seen as a serious warning sign. This is a clear misrepresentation.
- When an investor enters into a “Receivables Purchase Agreement”, they are not buying an annuity.
- Lesk is fully aware of this deceit. He follows my posts on X (formerly known as Twitter). Over the past 20 years of blogging, I have extensively addressed this issue.
- Many investors who acquired false flag “secondary market annuities” experienced financial losses in the aftermath of the Access Funding scandal.
- The recent SuttonPark Nightmare is another exemplar of why investors cannot assume they are buying a structured settlement annuity when they buy a receivable from Lesk, or anyone else in the structured settlement secondary or tertiary market. If you have any doubts you can contact the insurance regulator or department of financial services in your state. Contact info for Insurance Departments.
More Deceit from MJ Settlements
“Structured Settlement Annuities are backed by prominent insurance companies with high ratings, providing a reliable level of security. This backing makes them similar to other low-risk fixed-income investments, offering safety and predictability, especially valuable in a volatile investment environment. The only difference is that with MJ Settlements, you’ll get higher yields”.
Comments
- Structured settlement receivables are not structured settlement annuities, because the annuities funding the payments cannot be transferred, MJ Settlements is lying.
- The yields that you get when you buy structured settlement receivables depends on how badly the seller on the other side loses
As the Structured Settlement Watchdog, my mission includes ensuring that consumers have clear and accurate access to information regarding structured settlements. In monitoring the operations of the secondary and tertiary markets for structured settlements, my focus includes:
- providing a resource for consumers considering investments in structured settlement receivables.
- It is essential to ensure that investor-consumers understand they are not purchasing structured settlement annuities (they can’t); and
- that sellers of these receivables to investors—whether lawyers, licensed insurance agents, financial planners, or others—accurately identify the receivables without misleading investors into believing they are buying structured settlement annuities.
Last updated June 5, 2025