Wendy Schaetzel Lesko, Roberta Kleinstein, Leila K. Kight
Children
2
Matthew John Lesko (born May 11, 1943) is an American author known for his publications and infomercials on federal grant funding. He has written over twenty books instructing people how to get money from the United States government. Widely recognized for recording television commercials, infomercials, and interviews in colorful suits decorated with question marks, Lesko's signature fashion also extends into his daily attire and transportation,[1]
earning him the nickname Question Mark Guy.
In 1975, Lesko quit his job designing computerized information systems and co-founded Washington Researchers with his then-wife Leila K. Kight.[5]
After a slow start, Lesko started sending out a professional newsletter telling people how to get free information and, by 1979, Washington Researchers employed 30 people in its Washington, D.C. office.[5]
As side lines of business, Lesko began publishing directories for those who preferred to do their own research, such as the Researcher's Guide to Washington, and conducting seminars on the types of information then available from the government.[5]
Lesko was able to interest publisher Viking in his idea to publish a directory of government information sources in 1980.[6] That book, Getting Yours: The Complete Guide to Government Money, was published by Viking's Penguin subsidiary in 1982.[7]
He claims to have researched government grants for over 25 years.[8]
Critics claim that Lesko is misleading in his advertisements. A 2004 report by the New York State Consumer Protection Board claimed that most of the grants mentioned in Lesko's books were actually public assistance programs that many people were not eligible for, and that Lesko misrepresented examples of people who had taken advantage of government programs.[9]
The New York Times criticized him for having implied a current association with the paper long after ending a 1992–1994 Times column.[10]
In an interview with The Washington Post in July 2007, Lesko admitted having assembled his books from government guides to grants and loans, quoting Lesko as saying of his first book "I plagiarized the whole thing" and "I didn't write a lick." Lesko later added "I get stuff for free and I sell it for as much as I can get."[12] But in the last couple paragraphs of the same article, the author cites the names of multiple people who have actually used Lesko's books and teachings to get free money for several different things, everything from having their roof replaced on their home to "a local government program that gave them $12,000 to help pay for a gravel walkway for their cows."[13]
In popular culture
Lesko visits the White House as a guest of his son, a White House staffer.
In the season four episode of The Venture Bros. titled "The Better Man", Jefferson Twilight trains with cardboard cut-outs of various villains. When one of the cut-outs turns out to be Matthew Lesko, Jefferson explains that he mistook Lesko for a villain because "he was wearing punctuation on his suit", like that worn by Batman villain Riddler. The Alchemist contends that he "helps people get free money from the government" and therefore is a good guy.
American Benefits for Seniors: Getting the Most Out of Your Retirement (2006, ISBN1-878346-87-3)
All of his books claim to contain information about how to get free money from the United States government.
References
^"Questions for Matthew Lesko, the Question Mark Man". The Black Table. 2005. Retrieved November 16, 2015. I have a yellow Mini Cooper with question marks on it. I have a little orange Scion with question marks on it ... I usually ride around on a Vespa with question marks on it. Question marks are my anti-theft device.
^Rechcigl, Miloslav (2021). Notable Americans of Czechoslovak Ancestry in Arts and Letters and in Education. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. p. 1031. ISBN9781665540063.
^Fred, Joseph P. (March 3, 2005). "Free Money? Sure. Heard of Food Stamps?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2006. "In August 2006, Lesko modified his credentials on his Web site, lesko.com, which described him (as his books did) as a columnist for Good Housekeeping Magazine and The New York Times Syndicate. He wrote the magazine column in the 1980s and the column for the syndicate from 1992 to 1994. Both organizations recently told him that these did not justify his suggestion of a current association."
