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February 01, 2018

Structured Settlement Factoring Company Gets Trademark A Month After $1.2B SEC Ponzi Charge

by Structured Settlement Watchdog

Can you trademark a Ponzi Scheme? Apparently yes, because Woodbridge Wealth, formerly known as Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC, of Boca Raton, Florida, has now been granted trademark 5387257.

In December 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued luxury real estate developer Robert Shapiro and his Woodbridge Group of Companies, which included Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC for allegedly operating a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme targeting thousands of investors.

The SEC in December 2017 won an asset freeze against former Robert Shapiro and several of his companies that are not part of the Chapter 11 proceeding. Meanwhile, the regulator has asked a federal judge in Miami to appoint a receiver to oversee all of the Woodbridge companies in a move that, if approved, could upend the bankruptcy proceedings.

In the SEC’s lawsuit, the regulator alleged that Shapiro used a web of companies, the vast majority of which it said had no income and never made interest payments, to conceal his ownership and “line his pockets with millions of investor dollars” to pay for chartered planes, country club fees, luxury vehicles and jewelry.

 Read more details about the Woodbridge Wealth Ponzi Scheme in my December 22, 2017 commentary.

 

Posted at 10:21 AM in Factoring Company Bad Business Practices, Structured Settlement Watchdog®, Woodbridge Structured Funding LLC/ Woodbridge Wealth |

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Guide to Structured Settlements 2025

  • What is a Structured Settlement? What You Need to Know
    Structured settlements and what you need to know about them including a helpful introductory video featuring A.M. Best Client Recommended Structured Settlement Expert and Registered Settlement Planner John Darer of 4structures.com LLC
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    Treasury Funded Structured Settlements are a settlement option for the most conservative using the OTHER permissible qualified funding asset under IRC 130(d), United States Treasury Bonds in addition to, or instead of, structured settlement annuities. Treasury Funded Structured Settlements can also be used to fund installment sales, also known as structured sales and other non qualified structured settlements.
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    In 2025, you can structure your settlement payments in various ways. A structured settlement allows for multiple payment types within one agreement. You can tailor and merge different structured settlement payments to suit your individual needs, either alone or alongside other financial instruments. If desired, diversify your structured settlement by utilizing multiple annuity issuers, treasury-funded structured settlements, index-linked structured settlement payments, and market-based structured options.
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  • What Are Structured Settlement Annuities?
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  • History of Structured Settlements
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Qualified Settlement Funds

  • What is a Qualified Settlement Fund?
    Qualified Settlement Funds | What You Need to Know
  • Firmwide Qualified Settlement Funds Debunked
    Firmwide qualified settlement funds have been heavily promoted to trial lawyers, but have been debunked in a detailed analysis in a July 2022 legal opinion a tax partner at the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP. Trial lawyers and firms who have established Firmwide QSFs or coinsidering establishing a Firmwide QSF should read the analysis as part of their evaluation.

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