Texas Couple Jailed Over $30m Pandemic Pyramid Fraud Scheme

A Texas couple who defrauded more than 10,000 people of over $30m through a fraudulent chain-referral pyramid scheme have each been sentenced to 40 years in prison, following their conviction on conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering charges in January 2026.

LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, Texas, co-founded and operated "Blessings in No Time" (BINT), which they marketed through weekly live-streamed broadcasts to thousands of participants across the US during the COVID-19 shutdown between June 2020 and June 2021. Investors were falsely promised returns of 800% on each $1,400 contribution, alongside guaranteed refunds, with the scheme dressed up as an invitation-only, community-minded initiative to support those affected by the economic downturn.

The structure carried the hallmarks familiar to anyone who has unpicked a recruitment-driven fraud. BINT operated on tiered "playing boards" with positions across four levels, requiring continuous recruitment of new entrants to fund payments to those above them. The Moores positioned themselves to capture a substantial share of participant funds, diverting money to their own benefit.

The deliberate targeting of the African American community, leveraging cultural trust and community ties, is a reminder that affinity fraud remains among the most corrosive typologies, precisely because it weaponises the social bonds that ordinarily serve as a check against deception.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the United States Secret Service (USSS), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and prosecuted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division's Fraud Section together with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas. The pairing of wire fraud and money laundering charges underscores how the movement and layering of proceeds, not merely the underlying misrepresentation, drives both the custodial exposure and the asset-recovery prospects in matters of this kind.

Read the press release here.