Frisco couple gets 40 years for $30 million pyramid scheme

More than 10,000 victims and roughly $30 million in losses turned a Frisco fraud case into one of the clearest pandemic-era warnings for Collin County. Federal Judge Amos L. Mazzant III sentenced LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, to 40 years each after prosecutors said they built a nationwide pyramid scheme on fear, trust and financial desperation.

The couple ran Blessings in No Time, or BINT, through weekly livestreams during the COVID-19 shutdown, when many families were looking for ways to make ends meet. Prosecutors said the pitch promised an 800% return on a $1,400 payment and a refund if participants were not satisfied. Investors were placed on “playing boards” with names like Fire, Wind, Earth and Water, a structure that depended on new recruits keeping cash moving upward while lower-level participants were pushed to bring in still more people.

Federal officials said the scheme was not just large, but calculated. The Moores were convicted Jan. 8, 2026, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. The Justice Department said BINT victimized more than 10,000 people nationwide and that losses exceeded $25 million at trial, while the sentencing release put the loss figure at $30 million. The case was handled in the Eastern District of Texas, in Sherman, after a Nov. 8, 2023 indictment.

The criminal case also moved through a series of pretrial rulings. Court records show plea agreements were rejected Sept. 30, 2025, and the Moores were ordered detained March 27, 2025, after alleged pretrial-release violations. Prosecutors said the punishment reflects how seriously federal authorities are treating pandemic fraud and affinity scams that use cultural trust and community ties to reach victims.

Investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation worked the case. Officials said the Moores used a polished image and a reality-TV appearance to build credibility, and court-related reporting identified that appearance as a spot on OWN’s Family or Fiancé. Authorities also said the scheme deliberately targeted the African American community by exploiting trust networks inside those communities.

The case had already drawn regulatory scrutiny before the criminal conviction. In July 2023, Arkansas officials and the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement tied to BINT that included a reported $2.5 million restitution component and a total judgment of $10.76 million. For Collin County, the sentence is a blunt reminder that schemes promising fast money, guaranteed returns and pressure to recruit others can leave a wide trail of damage long before a courtroom reaches the final judgment.