The North Texas couple who wanted to appear like a power couple to friends and social media users through means earned by defrauding thousands of people during the COVID-19 pandemic learned their fate in a Frisco courtroom earlier this week.
Marlon and LaShonda Moore of Frisco were each sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for operating a pyramid scheme that prosecutors said bilked more than 10,000 people across the country out of more than $30 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Moores, who previously pled guilty to one count of money laundering in hopes of a lesser sentence, had their plea revoked last September for violating pretrial conditions.
Marlon Moore, who DJ’d in the Dallas area under the moniker DJ ASAP, was featured on reality shows on OWN and became the subject of an episode of American Greed after their pyramid scheme was busted. Under the guise of a company called “Blessings In No Time” (BINT), the couple ran an illegal pyramid scheme from June 2020 to June 2021. The invitation-only community was designed to help individuals facing fnanical hardship during the pandemic by making “blessing payments” to existing members.
The scheme, which the Moores ran out of their home in Prosper, drew the wrath of both the Texas and Arkansas Attorney General’s Offices, which sued the Moores in 2020. While it remains unclear if the Moores paid the state the $10.76 million judgment, Arkansas AG Tim Griffin announced a $450,000 settlement with the Moores in 2023.
“At the peak of the pandemic, LaShonda and Marlon Moore launched an investment fraud scheme and cheated struggling Americans out of $30 million,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. “This fraud scheme exploited people out of their hard-earned money at a time when they needed it most. Opportunistic fraudsters like the Moores belong in prison.”
Although participants in the scheme were using “playing boards,” the majority of the payments were structured to be received by the Moores, who then used the money not for those signed up for BINT but for themselves.
The majority of the Moores victims were Black men and women, exploiting “community trust”.
“The Moores’ get-rich quick scheme has earned them a well-deserved stay in federal prison,” U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas said. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished.”
Brandon Caldwell
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