A Texas couple was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on Tuesday for running a fraudulent chain-referral pyramid scam that authorities claimed defrauded over 10,000 people throughout the country of over $30 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID scheme
LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, were found guilty by a jury in January 2026 of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering charges related to their operation of “Blessings in No Time,” or BINT, an illegal pyramid scheme that operated from June 2020 to June 2021.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, the Moores founded BINT during the pandemic and recruited volunteers via weekly livestream broadcasts that were seen by thousands of individuals across the United States during COVID-19 shutdowns.
False promises
Prosecutors claim the scheme falsely promised participants an 800% return on a $1,400 investment and guaranteed reimbursements for unhappy members. The Moores pitched BINT as an invitation-only community to assist those experiencing financial difficulties during the pandemic by providing “blessing” payments to current members. ” LaShonda and Marlon Moore launched an investment fraud scheme at the peak of the pandemic and cheated struggling Americans out of $30 million,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Opportunistic fraudsters like the Moores should be imprisoned.”
According to authorities, BINT worked on so-called “playing boards” with four participant levels: eight fires, four winds, two earths, and one water. Participants in the fire positions were instructed to pay at least $1,400 to the person in the water position. When a Water player received eight payments totaling more than $11,000, other members advanced up the board and were expected to recruit other participants to continue the cycle.
Prosecutors claim the Moores positioned themselves on boards to obtain payments and diverted significant amounts of participant funds to themselves. U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas stated that the Moores’ get-rich-quick plan has earned them a well-deserved sentence in federal prison. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished.”
According to investigators, the fraud affected over 10,000 individuals nationwide and resulted in losses of over $30 million. “The damage caused by greed-driven, deceptive investments promising returns that are too good to be true cannot be overstated,” said Eric Shen, inspector in charge of the US Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “The mission of the USPIS continues to aggressively investigate such schemes and hold fraudsters fully accountable.”
According to Christina Foley, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dallas Field Office, the defendants took advantage of victims during times of uncertainty. “The Moores exploited trust and hope during a time of national crisis, causing significant harm to thousands of victims,” Foley stated. “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.”
According to Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Dallas Field Office, the pair established credibility for their organization through a polished public image and reality television appearance. “The Moores used a polished image and a reality TV appearance to build trust, but behind the scenes, they orchestrated a deceptive pyramid scheme based on fake ‘playing boards’ and false promises of 800% returns,” Altemus explained. ” This plan specifically targeted the African American population, taking advantage of cultural trust and communal ties.”
The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Secret Service, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
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