Texas Jury Brings Down “Blessings in No Time” Pyramid Scheme in $25 Million Fraud Verdict

A federal jury in Texas has found LaShonda and Marlon Moore guilty of running an enormous pyramid scheme that caused losses exceeding 25 million dollars, bringing a dramatic end to the couple’s operation known as Blessings in No Time. Prosecutors showed that during the global pandemic the Moores preyed on thousands of people through a web of deceptive recruitment practices, pulling in funds that were then laundered to finance their own enrichment. The verdict covers multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, all of which carry the potential for lengthy prison terms. The case stands as a powerful example of how federal authorities continue to pursue and dismantle financial networks built on predatory investment fraud.

At the heart of the prosecution was the revelation that the Moores created an illegal chain-referral enterprise that depended entirely on a constant flow of new participants to keep earlier ones paid. They enticed more than 10,000 victims nationwide by promising an extraordinary 800 percent return on an initial 1,400-dollar buy-in. Although the scheme was marketed as a charitable, community-based effort to help families survive pandemic shutdowns, investigators demonstrated that its true design was to funnel money upward to the defendants. The trial centered on how the couple engineered these cash movements so that the bulk of the money ultimately landed in their own bank accounts.

To hide what they were doing, the Moores layered transactions through a maze of so-called playing boards, a structure that made the flow of funds appear scattered and decentralized. Participants were directed to send their payments to people occupying specific spots on the boards, a tactic that obscured the real destination of the money while leaving the defendants in effective control. This approach enabled them to siphon off millions that should have gone to others. Agents from IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service painstakingly followed these trails of money, proving that the couple were not running a legitimate business but were instead engaged in a calculated scheme to launder and pocket criminal proceeds.

The internal mechanics of the fraud relied on a four-tier hierarchy labeled Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water. Under this system, eight people at the Fire level had to send payments to a single person at the Water level. After those payments were made, the board would split, participants would move up, and even more recruits were required to keep the process alive. This endless need for fresh money is a classic feature of pyramid schemes that inevitably collapse once recruitment slows. Evidence showed that the Moores frequently placed themselves and their close associates in the lucrative Water positions, guaranteeing a continuous flow of cash into their hands.

In addition to manipulating the boards, the couple also used more conventional laundering techniques by folding the stolen money into their personal lives and business ventures. They spent the proceeds of wire fraud on private purchases and to sustain a polished public image, an effort to make the illicit wealth look legitimate. Prosecutors argued, and the jury agreed, that this behavior violated federal laws designed to stop money from specified unlawful activities from circulating through the economy. The three separate money-laundering counts each corresponded to a specific attempt by the Moores to move or conceal the criminal origins of the 25 million dollars they took.

The investigation also laid bare how the scheme disproportionately harmed vulnerable communities. Authorities said the Moores deliberately focused on the African American community, using shared cultural experiences and trust to spread the program rapidly through personal networks and social media. By branding the scam as a kind of spiritual or community “blessing,” they disarmed the skepticism that might normally greet an investment pitch. Religious and communal language became a psychological lever that allowed the financial crime to flourish, deepening the hardship of victims already reeling from the pandemic’s economic toll.

Law enforcement agencies have pointed to the convictions as a warning to anyone tempted to exploit a crisis for profit. The case was built through cooperation among the Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Justice, illustrating a coordinated, multi-agency strategy against large-scale money laundering and fraud. Jurors were shown hours of livestreamed videos along with detailed financial records that exposed the operation behind its charitable facade. The outcome is being seen as a major step forward in enforcing anti-money-laundering laws against digital and community-based schemes during times of national emergency.

By convicting the Moores on nine federal counts, the jury rejected every claim that Blessings in No Time was a legitimate platform. The wire-fraud and conspiracy verdicts reflected the deceit used to draw victims in, while the money-laundering counts addressed what the couple did with the stolen millions afterward. With possible sentences of up to 20 years for each wire-fraud count and 10 years for each money-laundering count, the pair now face the likelihood of decades behind bars. For the more than 10,000 people whose finances were devastated, the decision brings a measure of justice.

The ruling also reinforces a broader principle: no matter how complicated or unconventional a financial structure may be, it does not shield criminals from accountability. Even though the Moores relied on unique terminology and dispersed payment methods, investigators were able to reconstruct the money flows and show how the defendants directly benefited from other people’s losses. As the case moves toward sentencing, attention will turn to recovering assets and to continuing efforts to educate the public about the warning signs of pyramid-based financial scams.

By fLEXI tEAM