Moore Couple, Pyramid Scheme, Texas 2024

Pyramid Scheme Exposed: Texas Couple Charged with Defrauding Thousands of Participants

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas returned an indictment yesterday charging LaShonda Moore, 35, and Marlon Moore, 37, for operating an illegal pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of participants of more than $10 million.

The couple allegedly co-founded and ran Blessings in No Time (BINT), a chain-referral pyramid scheme that targeted the African American community during the COVID-19 pandemic with false and misleading promises of 800% guaranteed returns and guaranteed refunds if participants were unsatisfied with the program.

According to court documents, BINT’s payment scheme involved “playing boards” with eight Fire positions, four Wind positions, two Earth positions, and one Water position. Players in the Fire position advanced on the board by paying at least $1,400 to the person in the Water position and recruiting two new Fire-level participants, at which point the cycle would repeat.

The Moores allegedly placed themselves and their family members in the Water position on multiple playing boards to receive the payments from participants in the Fire position and collected a substantial sum from participants’ monthly user fees, which were required for participation in BINT.

The Moores are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and 10 years in prison for each money laundering count.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs, Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group, Acting Special Agent in Charge Christina Foley of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Dallas Field Office made the announcement.

USPIS, U.S. Secret Service, and IRS-CI are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Theodore M. Kneller and Assistant Chief William Johnston of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Kummerfeld for the Eastern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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