Couple’s $10M pyramid scheme targeted African-American community in Texas, feds say

Thousands of people were tricked into joining an illegal pyramid scheme in Texas that targeted African-Americans and lost more than $10 million, according to federal authorities.

LaShonda Moore, 35, and Marlon Moore, 37, co-founded and ran the “Blessings in No Time” pyramid scheme from their home in Prosper, Texas, authorities said.

From around June 2020 to June 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the husband and wife convinced people to join them by promising “800% guaranteed returns and guaranteed refunds if participants were unsatisfied with the program,” according to a Nov. 9 news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

But these were false promises, authorities said, as “it was impossible for all participants to receive such returns or refunds.”

On Nov. 8, the Moores were indicted in federal court on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering, records show.

LaShonda Moore and Marlon Moore do not have defense attorneys listed in public court records as of Nov. 9.

“Blessings in No Time” was a chain-referral pyramid scheme, according to the release. These types of schemes depend on recruiting new people to make money.

Authorities said the “Blessings in No Time” scheme including “playing boards” based around the four elements — fire, water, earth and air.

The boards had eight fire positions, four wind positions, two earth positions and one water position, according to the release.

“As alleged, 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,” officials said. “In other words, eight new participants had to be recruited into the scheme for a single earlier participant to receive a return on their initial investment.”

The Moores are accused of placing themselves and their relatives in the water position of various playing boards, which put them in a position to receive payments from those in the fire category.

Payments were referred to as blessings, according to the indictment.

The husband and wife also required participants to pay $85 a month to access their program, authorities said, and they received a “substantial” amount of these monthly fees.

Authorities said more than 8,000 people were recruited into “Blessings in No Time.”

Prosper is about 40 miles north of Dallas.

This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Couple’s $10M pyramid scheme targeted African-American community in Texas, feds say."