A Texas couple is heading to federal prison for 40 years each after cheating thousands of people out of $30 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, Texas, were sentenced yesterday for running an illegal chain-referral pyramid scheme. A jury previously convicted the pair in January 2026 on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Between June 2020 and June 2021, the couple ran a program they called “Blessings in No Time,” or BINT. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Moores used weekly live-stream video broadcasts to recruit people across the country during the nationwide COVID-19 shutdowns.
The couple presented BINT as an exclusive, altruistic community meant to help people survive the economic downturn. They promised victims an 800% return on a $1,400 investment, telling them that new participants’ “blessing” payments would be paid back eight-fold within a few weeks. They also guaranteed refunds for anyone who was unsatisfied.
The system operated on a set of “playing boards” organized into four levels: eight Fires, four Winds, two Earths, and one Water. When eight new recruits filled the Fire positions, they were each instructed to pay at least $1,400 to the person sitting in the Water position. That single Water participant would then collect eight payments totaling more than $11,000.
After the payout, everyone else moved up one level on the board and was required to recruit new people into the empty Fire spots to keep the money moving. To maximize their own profits, the Moores placed themselves in key positions on these playing boards to receive many of the final payouts, diverting substantial amounts of participant money to themselves. The scheme ultimately victimized more than 10,000 people.
“At the peak of the pandemic, LaShonda and Marlon Moore launched an investment fraud scheme and cheated struggling Americans out of $30 million,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This fraud scheme exploited people out of their hard-earned money at a time when they needed it most. Opportunistic fraudsters like the Moores belong in prison.”
Investigators highlighted how the operation preyed on specific groups and exploited a time of widespread anxiety.
“The Moores used a polished image and a reality TV appearance to build trust, but behind the scenes, they orchestrated a deceptive pyramid scheme built on fake ‘playing boards’ and false promises of 800% returns,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. “This scheme deliberately targeted the African American community, exploiting cultural trust and community ties. These sentences make it clear: if you abuse trust and exploit communities, you will face justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Christina Foley of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office noted that the couple took advantage of trust and hope during a national crisis. “Those who exploit uncertainty and hardship for personal profit undermine the safety and security of our communities,” Foley said. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: the Secret Service remains steadfast in our mission to investigate and disrupt these schemes, and those who prey on vulnerable communities for personal gain will be held fully accountable.”
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas called the operation a get-rich-quick scheme. “The Moores’ get rich quick scheme has earned them a well-deserved stay in federal prison,” Combs said. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished.”
The case was a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the IRS Criminal Investigation division.
“The harm caused by greed-driven, deceptive investments promising returns too good to be true cannot be overstated,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS Criminal Investigations Group. “The mission of the USPIS continues, to aggressively investigate such schemes and hold fraudsters fully accountable.”
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