A Texas couple was sentenced to 40 years each in prison for running a fraudulent chain-referral pyramid scheme that defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over $30 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department announced.
LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, Texas, were convicted by a jury in January 2026 on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. The pair co-founded and operated “Blessings in No Time,” known as “BINT,” an illegal chain-referral pyramid scheme that targeted victims between June 2020 and June 2021.
The scheme recruited participants through weekly live-stream video broadcasts, falsely promising 800% returns on each $1,400 investment and guaranteeing refunds for unsatisfied participants, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial. BINT was marketed as an altruistic, invitation-only community designed to help people financially during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
The structure of the scheme placed participants on “playing boards” divided into four levels: eight Fires, four Winds, two Earths and one Water. Once eight new recruits filled the Fire positions, each was directed to pay at least $1,400 to the participant in the Water position, who would receive more than $11,000 in total payments. Participants who moved up the board were then required to recruit additional members to keep the scheme going. The Moores placed themselves in positions to collect many of the final payments and diverted substantial funds to themselves, prosecutors said.
IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. said the Moores used a polished image and a reality TV appearance to build trust while deliberately targeting the African American community, exploiting cultural trust and community ties.
“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.
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas said the scheme amounted to theft. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished,” Combs said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Adam L.D. Stempel of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin Jr. for the Eastern District of Texas.
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