A Texas couple was sentenced yesterday to 40 years each in prison for running a fraudulent chain-referral pyramid scheme, following their convictions by a jury on conspiracy, wire fraud. Money laundering charges in January 2026. “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.
Key details of the case
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.”.
Moreover, “The Moores’ get rich quick scheme has earned them a well-deserved stay in federal prison,” said U.S. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished.”.
Meanwhile, “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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “The mission of the USPIS continues, to aggressively investigate such schemes and hold fraudsters fully accountable.”.
Enforcement actions and official statements
In addition, “Those who exploit uncertainty and hardship for personal profit undermine the safety and security of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Christina Foley of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office. “The Moores took advantage of trust and hope during a time of national crisis, causing significant harm to thousands of victims. For complete details, refer to the official DOJ press release.
As a result, today’s sentencing sends a clear message: the Secret Service remains steadfast in our mission to investigate and disrupt these schemes. Those who prey on vulnerable communities for personal gain will be held fully accountable.”. “The Moores used a polished image and a reality TV appearance to build trust.
Consequently, 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 (IRS-CI) Dallas Field Office. “This scheme deliberately targeted the African American community, exploiting cultural trust and community ties. For related coverage, see Fraud division announces federal–state partnership in ohio to prosecute fraud — DOJ.
Notably, these sentences make it clear: if you abuse trust and exploit communities, you will face justice.”. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, LaShonda Moore, 38. Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, Texas, co-founded and ran “Blessings in No Time,” known as “BINT,” an illegal chain-referral pyramid scheme that targeted victims during the COVID‑19 pandemic from June 2020 to June 2021.
BINT targeted and recruited victims with false and misleading promises through weekly live-stream video broadcasts to thousands of participants across the United States during the COVID-19 shutdown. Victims were falsely promised that they would earn 800% returns on each $1,400 investment and were guaranteed a refund if they were unsatisfied. The Moores falsely held out BINT as a way for people to help their own community by paying “blessings” of at least $1,400 to participants who had already joined. For related coverage, see Aspiration partners co-founder sentenced to prison for $248m scheme to defraud investors and lenders — DOJ.
The Moores falsely promised that new participants’ “blessing” payments would be paid back eight-fold within a few weeks. BINT was falsely presented as an altruistic invitation-only community to help others during the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic. . The defendants structured BINT to operate on “playing boards” that had positions for participants on four levels: eight Fires, four Winds, two Earths.
At the same time, one Water. Once eight new participants were recruited to fill all eight Fire positions on the playing board, each Fire was directed to “bless” or pay at least $1,400 to the participant in the Water position. A Water participant then received eight payments totaling more than $11,000.
In particular, after a Water participant received his or her payment, other participants at lower levels would move up one level on the playing board and then be required to recruit new participants into the Fire positions to perpetuate the scheme. To profit from the investment scheme, the defendants placed themselves in positions on the playing boards so that they received many of the ultimate payments. They otherwise diverted substantial money to themselves that was paid by the participants.
Furthermore, the defendants’ pyramid scheme victimized more than 10,000 people across the country and inflicted more than $30 million in victim losses. Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Adam L.D. Stempel of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S.
