All language subtitles for American Greed s15e21 Preaching Pyramid Schemes

You're watching CNBC On Demand.

In this episode of American Greed, a
reality TV couple has a real -life

comedown when they are accused of
scamming thousands of unsuspecting

The couple is accused of luring people
with false promises.

They wanted to be a celebrity couple.

Lashonda and Marlon Moore say they want
to help African -American communities

build generational wealth. They call it
affinity fraud.

$33 million circulating.

They use religion.

We are two God -fearing individuals.

They know the buzzword. Building black
wealth.

Blessing. More people are going to
continue to be blessed out. The Moors

Zoom and other video platforms to sell
their schemes and recruit members

nationwide for their online investment
community called Blessings in No Time, a

.k .a.

Binge. What's up, Binge family?

What's up, Binge family?

They created this blessings circle under
the guise of blessings for black

people.

The Moors preach rapid bent returns of
biblical proportions and a money -back

guarantee. This is a very confusing and
convoluted structure.

The FTC says bent is an old -school
fraud.

Greed is like the venom of a snake. With
a modern spin that the Moors hype as

totally legit.

It's always and still will be.

Ashita, how you guys doing? Jasmine,
Tanisha, Sarah, Nicole, John, Gloria,

Leslie.

Lashonda and Marlon Moore are running a
live online recruitment meeting,

inviting new members into the investment
community they call BINT, short for

Blessings in No Time.

I thought that they were a young, nice
couple just trying to help out the

community. New members are impressed by
the Moors' cachet. As entertainers and

media entrepreneurs, they seem to be
models of fine living, success, and

back to the community.

Your work in progress is like me.

They was on their own show, and he was
on 106 and Parkland.

The Moors promise a $1 ,400 investment
in DeBint will yield a quick return of

more than $11 ,000.

And at the height of the pandemic, Bint
spreads almost as fast as the

coronavirus itself.

My aunt called me from Texas, telling me
about this group that's so fascinating.

But there's trouble ahead.

Investors are having difficulty getting
their money out.

And the Moors put the blame on them.

Why is it taking so long? If I got to be
honest, it's because of y 'all. They're

berating people. And that's when you
know that it's starting to fall apart.

And LaShonda and Marlon may have to face
the music.

He just knew how to play the perfect
songs at the perfect time, and he would

come alive on the mic.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Marlon
DeAndre Maiden later changes his last

to Moore and comes to fame in Dallas in
the early 2010s as DJ A

$AP. Marlon selects ASAP as a moniker
for his self -adopted mantra, always

a purpose, and lands a four -year run on
the popular BET music countdown show,

106 and Park.

That put him on the map. His star, like,
just skyrocketed.

Roderick Pullum buys his first camera
around the same time Marlon picks up his

turntables.

and says Marlon's DJ ASAP career takes
off from a master mix of hustle and

If the party's over, he was down on the
corner passing out his mix CDs, and

yeah, that's how he made it all the way
to BET.

There was no celebrity or rock star of
the whole game, so that's what I really

wanted to try to focus on, that
celebrity, rock star type of DJ vibe.

A celebrity DJ, you're one of those
people that the celebrities themselves

when they have a party or an event.

Celebrity DJ also means the price tag.

Videographer Jarvis Minton strikes a
bond with Marlon in 2015.

And documents his transition from a DJ
promoting brands to ASAP the mogul, as

Marlon spent his hustle toward his new
non -profit lifestyle accelerator called

Mogul Behavior.

That's where he was branding himself
from. Just people thinking that all he

was a DJ.

He wanted people to know, like, I'm a
businessman. Let's talk about something

that's really bringing in the dollar
signs.

Marlon also flexes a suddenly strong
interest in staying fit.

He started acting funny, like working
out all the time, you know.

According to Minton, Marlon works out to
impress LaShonda Stimile Conley, a

single mother of two from Conway,
Arkansas, with a background in insurance

adjusting and real estate.

My thing was, I'm going to make sure he
likes me more than I like him.

She was just a gem, man. She had his
focus.

And I could just always tell that she
was going to be the one for him.

I take her to the club. We talking and
everything.

And she was like, you know, you're going
to fall in love. I'm going to make you

fall in love with me.

Together, they just created like this
superpower couple.

They wanted to be a celebrity couple.

When it was time for business, it was
time for business. And she was like that

stone cold business woman that was like,
I'm going to get my money. If I'm

pissed off, you're going to feel it. Oh,
she got a mouth on her.

Now with Marlon by her side, LaShonda
joins him as a lifestyle guru for mogul

behavior and brings her insurance and
real estate skills to the table. We do

financial planning. We help, you know,
insurance as far as also real estate and

finance and help people get homes and
different bank finances.

Financial wealth and credit.

The Shonda and Marlon announced their
engagement in October 2018 and go over

top with their photo shoot, capturing
the attention of casting agents for

or Fiance, a reality TV series on the
Oprah Winfrey Network.

We had to go out to California and stay
in a beautiful mansion with our family.

It was about three weeks before we got
married, so we basically had to sit down

and just hash everything out.

This weekend was hard.

Despite a bit of primetime drama, on
August 9th, 2019, LaShonda and Marlon's

lavish wedding ceremony goes off without
a hitch. And Culture Map Dallas calls

it the party of the decade.

I'm looking for ASAP.

Soon as I walk in, all I see is his tux
hanging up. And you look on the inside,

and the whole inside was just like
pictures from the engagement shoot of

LaShonda on it.

And then, like, seeing LaShonda's dress,
the sun was shining in off of it and

hitting the rhinestones. I'm like, yeah.

After the ceremony was done, that's when
it really got fun.

You had women swinging off of ropes, and
then the fireworks went off.

The newlyweds move into a large new home
in the expanding affluent Dallas suburb

of Crossford, Texas.

Prosper is about 35 miles north of
Dallas.

Lots of single -family homes, a lot of
master -planned communities there.

And with the taste of Hollywood still on
their lips, the Moors line up media

appearances to promote their upcoming
reality TV premiere.

I'm Dre, a .k .a. A $AP the Mogul. And
I'm Lashonda, but I go by Lala.

the more for delist celebrities.

I heard that five or six times. And
people said it seemed like they were

looking for that next opportunity to
become famous.

Especially our episode.

It's been really big.

The LaShonda and Dre episode of Family
or Fiance airs on the OWN Network

February 1, 2020.

For delisters who want to make it big,
the timing is terrible.

Health experts say it could take weeks
or even months to truly flatten the

curve. The world is about to be
clobbered by a one -two punch.

With millions out of work, what do you
do about the bills due tomorrow?

First, the COVID -19 pandemic shuts down
most of the United States.

And then the shocking murder of George
Floyd awakens mass protests against

police brutality.

And more and more businesses are boarded
up.

Times are tough, especially for a young
couple whose livelihoods depend on in

-person events.

Stuck in the burbs, bored and lonely,
the Moors come up with a plan.

In response to the economic and social
pressures of the pandemic, they say they

want to bless African Americans with an
opportunity tailor -made for black

consumers.

They say their new gifting circle will
turn a $1 ,400 investment into more than

$11 ,000 in just weeks.

They call it blessings in no time.

And word is spreading fast.

What's up, Bent family?

What's up, Bent family? The moment
you've been waiting for is finally here.

That's right.

The Moors sell Bent during virtual
recruitment calls as a way to help

need to pay for expenses like medical
bills and college tuition.

using a process called link funding,
according to the Bint app website.

One of the main reasons, if not the main
reason overall, we started Bint was

just to help other people achieve some
type of success in their lives, right?

Definitely where all this started.

Bint is app -based, but is really a
mashup of new technology and an old idea

called a susu.

They have all kinds of names.

Blessing circle, blessing loom, saving
circle, a flower circle, the susu

I understand susus in a completely
different way.

A susu is an informal savings club with
roots in West Africa and the Caribbean.

But a money -making format like Bint is
a no -no for a susu.

It really wasn't about a profit. It was
helping someone get on their feet and

then paying it forward to help the next
person.

So if I put in $500, I'm getting out
$500.

It is a way to help each other save.

With their claim that an investment in
DeBin guarantees fast eightfold returns,

the Moores also inject a greedy money
-making hook into the susu concept that

resonates with people who are looking to
make money quickly in the pandemic.

The illegitimate susu is all about
recruitment, but they sell it like the

susu. And so you bring in your auntie
and your cousin.

Just invite three people. I need
everybody to go out there and talk to

from three to five people.

Right? Go ahead and talk.

Up next, a blessing from Bent is like
baptism by fire.

It was kind of fun.

For a little while.

It's been full steam ahead since
LaShonda and Marlon Moore met in 2017.

But things slow down in spring 2020 when
the pandemic strikes until the Moores

fire up bent.

Maybe it's a long -term goal or maybe
it's, you know, just getting your kids

through school or paying off debt,
paying off student loans. I know you

a lot of student loans out there.

I still got some student loans, too.

They said that other races get loans,
you know, real easily. We tend to

as people of color. So this was created
to help us.

Monika Toney works far fewer hours at an
optometrist practice during the

pandemic.

It was a financial disaster going from
full -time to less than part -time.

It was a struggle.

Any extra income to make ends meet or to
save toward her son's education would

truly be a blessing.

I was approached by a family member who
said, this is a good way to get some

real money real fast, and then you can
tell other people about it and they'll

get money.

And so she was like, I'm only telling
you this because I actually got my money

back. This seemed to be a blessing for
black people.

More than 160 million Americans are
waiting for relief checks.

When a small amount of aid arrives from
government -issued stimulus checks, Tony

joins Bint and hopes to quickly turn her
stimulus money into a small fortune.

People were getting their $1 ,400 or $2
,800 or whatever they were owed, and the

initial investment was $1 ,400 with a
promise of a return of $11 ,000.

Bint asks new members to bring in new
recruits.

But Tony wants to get her own money back
first and spends nearly $3 ,000 for two

entry -level fire positions on a bent
playing board, which contains 15

and four levels, including eight fires,
four winds, two earths, and

one water.

You start on the outside of the circle,
and then each time you level up, you

move up closer to the middle. The middle
is the water, and that's when you

receive your blessing.

They create these different levels or
elements because there's sort of a

aspect to it. People love games, and
they feel as if they're involved in

something sophisticated.

It was definitely intriguing and
interesting, and it was kind of fun, you

for a little while.

When the water is blessed, each position
moves up a level.

The water position is removed, and the
board splits into two.

As Marlon explains, those boards are
going to continue to go and grow. And

guys are going to continue to split
those boards. More and more people are

to continue to be blessed out from those
boards. Right. According to the FTC,

playing boards like Vince are part of a
common scheme that grows exponentially

during times of economic crisis, like
the Great Recession and the pandemic.

is a very confusing and convoluted
structure.

And that, of course, is no accident.

Blessing looms are designed to prey on
relationships of trust, and that can be

friends and family. It can be
communities that you're involved in. It

people of your faith that you know from
your place of worship.

As the FTC complaint alleges, aside from
astounding 800 % returns, the Moores

are promising a full refund guarantee on
any money that members pay in debits.

That was the main reason why I went
ahead and joined in, because that's what

they were telling us. You could request
a refund at any time.

One of the things about Bent is that you
guarantee your money back.

Red flag right there.

Michelle Singletary is a personal
finance columnist at The Washington Post

says she spots one red flag after
another when she hears about Bent.

There's no investment that doesn't
guarantee none.

They appeared as sheep, see, striving to
maintain while battling with Goliath

and seeing that hat.

With theaters shuttered due to COVID
-19, spoken word activist Lauren D.

can't book any gigs in Chicago.

I pretty much have to survive off of
what I had in my savings until I can

some other type of work to stay afloat
while still going to school online.

Armour hears about Ben from her aunt and
invests $1 ,425.

I have somewhere where I want to be. So
if I can find something I can invest in

and get return on, then I can do
whatever is in my plan. You know, not

myself, but I was thinking about my
mother. I was thinking about my dad and

brother, who's really sick.

And they were struggling financially.

We wanted to be able to help people,
help other people, you know, just become

better in their finances.

They seemed sincere.

They were passionate about creating a
movement, causing change within the

community with bringing us together.

It's crazy when they suddenly come
tapping at your window.

Up next, the Moors demand a vow of
silence about Bent on social media.

That was one of the Bible rules for Ben.

A good investment, a legitimate
investment, is not secret.

To spread the word that a $1 ,400 Vint
investment guarantees a quick return of

$11 ,000,

LaShonda and Marlon Moore harnessed the
reach of the Internet, hosting Vint

video meetings while continuing to push
for more recruitment.

Everybody watching this right now will
say 1226, that's what the number is

now. You just invited three people,
that's 3678.

And while the videos are intended for
their private community, they will soon

become very public on a website created
by whistleblowers called Bent Scan

Refund Demand, and later used against
them in cases brought by the FTC and

two state attorneys general.

According to the two civil lawsuits,
thousands of new members joined Bent in

matter of months from all across the
country.

Grandma's here, too.

Jennifer and Charles Ferguson have been
married more than 40 years and would

like to pay off their home and boost
their retirement.

A friend of mine told me that her niece
was in this all -black

group. And one of the ministers had
someone that had gone through two or

times and received their full $11 ,000
back.

This is an answer to my prayer.

The Fergusons could use a helping hand
while Jennifer recovers from three

strokes and two heart attacks.

She had failed a lot at church.

I had traumatic brain injury, and I also
had vertigo.

She was having a problem with memory
loss.

Jennifer Ferguson invests more than $4
,200 in Bint for herself, Charles,

and her younger brother.

And while she does not receive any
returns, with no limits on how many

Bint members can invest, Jennifer puts
more money in, selling cryptocurrency

dipping into the Ferguson's life savings
to increase the odds of blessing out.

I just went in headfirst, and my brain
wasn't thinking right.

Everybody said it was too good to be
true.

I'm just apprehensive about the whole
thing.

Charles says he watches the Moors' big
presentations and senses something is

amiss.

Marlon was a DJ that can hype up a
crowd, so I figured he was just talking

get people to join.

Mic check, mic check.

Then one time he said he was God
-fearing. We are two God -fearing

individuals.

LaShonda and Marlon Moore take their
religious rhetoric to a whole new level

when they announce a book of bent laws
called the Bent Bible.

It's really simple information, but
maybe for some of you that need clarity

the policies and procedures.

The Bent Bible was just their rules and
regulations, the digital book that they

created. According to the Bent Bible,
all Bent members must be African

with no exceptions.

And members cannot post anything Bent
-related on social media, or they could

lose their money.

Everything's on social media. And if you
want more people to join, then you

spread it, right?

Well, we weren't allowed to do that.
That was one of the... Bible rule for

Ironically, they do want you to bring
people in because that's the only way it

keeps going.

So don't post on social media, but
definitely tell your friends and family

it. We want to keep it secret because
it's supposed to be sacred.

But a good investment, a legitimate
investment, is not secret.

Bent merges its banned app website with
a third -party board management software

app called ConnectMe, a service that
requires a new $85 monthly fee for

members. I thought that was pretty cool
at first, but they didn't say it was

going to be $85 a month per person.

According to Michelle Singletary, the
ConnectMe fees are a sign that bent

recruitment is drying up.

They may have you pay them to have a
website, $85, $100.

Because at some point, things slow down.
You can't recruit as many people. So

they're figuring out ways to bring in
more money.

The Moores shrug off doubts about the
monthly fees and tell members that

Me is worth every penny.

As soon as everybody hear about this
$85, it's going to be a problem. Think

about it, y 'all.

$85 for all of this ain't nothing.

People went along with it, me included.

If you cut off Connect Me, then you
can't access your board. You can't

any communication with the people
running the show. And therefore, if you

not paying your $85 fee per month for
the app, you were kicked out.

For a short time, Bent members can view
everyone's playing boards in Connect Me,

including the people in charge.

Like Ben administrators and the Moores
themselves, which they later defend in a

video call.

My family and friends have been blessed.
But I still got a lot of family and

friends who are pissed off at me and
pissed off at him. Right.

And they haven't been blessed. And there
are thousands of people. You could see

that they personally were on several
boards.

You could see that they were in the
water. You could see their family

were in the water about to receive
payouts. There was.

some screenshots of what LaShonda made,
and just from the amount of boards she

closed out, it added up to two million
just for her.

Taking a page out of their mogul
behavior playbook, LaShonda and Martin

to reframe their pitch to tap into much
deeper themes and say Connect Me will

offer e -courses to help achieve
financial freedom and generational

It felt like, oh, okay, these people are
here not just for this blessing, but to

teach us how to keep it going and to
pass it down.

This is your opportunity to build wealth
for you and your children and your

children's children.

Well, who isn't going to say yeah on
that message?

And that's how they get you.

Up next.

The Moors flaunt their high -flying
lifestyle as they allegedly pilot Bint

the law.

At that point, people were already
asking for refunds.

LaShonda and Marlon Moore reach new
heights with Blessings in No Time.

And for Marlon's birthday, they go
skydiving in California to take it up a

notch.

But as the Moores fly their fun too
close to the sun,

they better look out below, because most
Ben members have

not been blessed out.

And they're losing faith in the Moors.

They were not quiet about using their
blessings to live a lavish lifestyle.

at that point, people were already
asking for refunds.

The Moors are active on social media and
have more than 100 ,000 followers

between them, just on Instagram alone.

Imagine how frustrating that would be to
see that content on social media while

you're losing life savings.

And then for LaShonda's birthday, they
had a very luxurious birthday party at a

jewel in downtown Dallas.

And while Marlon gives band members a
round of applause.

Give it up for yourself, man. $33
million circulating within the last four

months.

Desperation boils over for BIN members
still waiting to be blessed.

Some hit the panic button and exercise
the Moore's guarantee of issuing full

refunds. I hadn't received any of the
blessings back. Here it was three, four,

five months later.

I actually tried to contact the person I
blessed to say, hey, you think you can

give like half of that back?

I actually requested a refund.

They kept guaranteeing that everything
would be fine.

We're still going to give you a refund,
but it's going to take a little bit

longer. So in that time that you guys
are waiting, you might as well just get

your water spot.

But Lauren D. Armour has waited long
enough and bows out of bent, empty

I just threw my hands up and said, you
know what, you can keep the little

The Fergusons are also on edge and seem
to be going around in circles on their

bent boards.

I saw my neighbor go up, then it come
back down.

It just stayed going around. It never
went toward the center to the payout.

I started to ask questions. Why don't we
ever make it to the water?

But the Moors appear to be getting
overwhelmed by a membership base

says grows to an army of more than 8
,000 strong.

Can you imagine having a community of 8
,000? And 10 % of 8 ,000 would be 800

people coming at you crazy.

I took it to LaShonda.

She would start night.

We are working as quickly as we can on
those refunds. But when I would

her, then she wasn't as nice.

Y 'all are not going to always see.

Nice, Shonda. Once people started
complaining, she started getting a

defensive. Why is it taking so long? If
I got to be honest, it's because of y

'all.

You'll actually see in some of the later
workshops, you're not bringing in

enough people. And so when that money
starts to slow down, that's a sign that

it's about to collapse.

And those of you that are hiding behind
names on this Zoom where it's not your

real name, be very, very thankful that
we don't know who you are. And if we

out, you will be removed without a
refund.

Choked with bent refund requests,
LaShonda and Marlon try to clear the

In a video that the FTC includes in its
complaint.

I just need to know that everybody
that's in this group trusts us.

Let's say 25 % of this group decides to
leave right now. That's 2 ,000 people.

I'm going to stand ten toes down and say
we're going to give all those people

their refunds. We're going to do right
by those people. And the ball is going

keep rolling.

As 2020 fades, the Moores give Mint a
total makeover and announce a full

reset. The restart means that we are
condensing what you have for you to

even. I would only receive $700 and
another $700.

People were only going to get half the
money.

LaShonda and Marlon ask members to
branch off into smaller subgroups.

And also try to split or merge together
newly designed fusion boards, which

cause a lot of confusion.

When you're in that blessing position,
you're going to send 700 to the

testimony, which is the wind. I'm sorry,
the testimony, which is the water. Let

me talk. People were just frustrated and
so confused.

But the Moores reassure members that
Bint is running smoothly. And name drop

celebrities and government officials,
they say, are allegedly part of the Bint

community, according to the FTC.

They did mention a couple of big
celebrities.

They were like, oh, there's people in
the Pentagon, there's people in the IRS.

It's not a scam.

So it really felt legit.

The people in the DA had joined it. The
IRS said it was good. The thing is, they

just... Follow along with them because
they was a young couple. They was up and

coming. They call it affinity fraud as
well, right? There's some affinity.

The couple was on a reality show on the
Oprah Network.

We love Oprah. She wouldn't put anybody
on her show that's not legit knowingly.

The Boers also seem to inadvertently
spill the beans about their motivation.

Guys, we are fine.

This group isn't going anywhere anytime
soon.

husband have the potential to make way
too much money being in this group.

They're doing things that are not right.
And the moment you feel that in your

gut, I think at some level when people
in this corner disappointed with, they

go, Oh, when you feel that, yep.

Get out. It's time.

Get out now.

Up next, the FTC has their eyes on bent,
but the more say they have nothing to

hide.

Want more greed?

Follow us on Instagram, connect on
Facebook, and listen to the American

podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

We'll be right back.

It's been six tumultuous months since
LaShonda and Marlon Moore founded Bint.

And with no end to the pandemic in
sight, the Moors get into the holiday

and host an online business party.

Congratulations, congratulations.

Meanwhile,

Monika Toney has the holiday blues from
her bid investment and requests multiple

refunds through Connect Me.

But here's Crickets.

The third time that I went to request a
refund, I could not. There was no...

place for you to request a refund.

So then I started calling, but those
calls went unanswered, of course.

Members can no longer apply for a refund
because LaShonda and Marlon say they

have removed the online request form.

We had a refund list, and before that
refund list got too long, we wanted to

say, hey, let's go ahead and shut it
down.

The Moores drop another bomb.

and say they cannot afford to honor
their bent refund guarantee, according

video included in the FTC complaint.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it.
We do not have it financially to refund

everybody in this community, even if we
wanted to.

So with this complaint from Ms. Tony,
you'll see here that her losses, she's

alleging, are $2 ,850.

$3 ,000 is a lot of money.

I'm not rich. You know, I work every
day.

Tony files complaints about Bent with
the Texas Attorney General, the FTC, and

the Better Business Bureau.

There was a common thread in the
complaints.

People may have had some extra money in
their pocket as a result of the stimulus

check. They had given a certain amount
of money towards the investment in

anticipation of receiving eight times
their investment, where the consumers...

trusted the investment simply because
they were going to have the opportunity

have their money refunded.

And while the BBB has no law enforcement
authority, they hold monthly task force

meetings with consumer protection
agencies that do.

When the Better Business Bureau first
presented the information at a North

task force meeting was in February when
we saw the spike in complaints.

Attendees at the task force meetings
include the Texas Attorney General's

and the Federal Trade Commission.

Playing boards, they're all pretty
similar.

There's four concentric circles.

Reed Tepfer is a lead attorney for the
FTC in the federal case against Bint and

the Moors.

Despite the shape of Bint's playing
boards, Tepfer spots what the FTC

is a familiar fraud hidden at the core
of Blessings in No Time.

When you're looking at playing boards,
it's not in the shape of a pyramid. It's

not immediately clear to you that this
is a pyramid scheme.

The people on the second level are
recruiting members to the outside level

are making payments to the person in the
center. And it continues indefinitely,

and the number of recruits that you need
is exponential.

And so that is what makes it a pyramid
scheme, the fact that it's dependent on

recruiting. There's Ponzi schemes and
pyramid schemes.

They're very similar, like kissing
cousins.

But it really is all about new money
paying old money.

And really what you're getting is money
from new people they recruit in.

The FTC notes in its complaint that the
Moores were also part of another illegal

blessings circle scheme prior to Bent.

And the group that we left, they
subdivided, I think, three or four

they've been going since like 2014.

Yeah, they've been going since 2014. And
those are some of the tricks in trade.

We are learning.

Scammers do learn from each other.
People see this scam is bringing in a

money. And so you may see copycat
schemes, and that's sort of the nature

these sometimes work.

In traditional pyramid schemes,
investors on top get paid by recruits

below. But in a chain referral blessing
loom like Bend, it's the investor in the

center who gets blessed out.

One of the most insidious scams is when
they use religion.

You can be blessed.

That gets you to lower your trust a
little bit more because it's good to be

blessing. It's good to give a blessing.
So you don't think anything bad when you

think of blessings.

It's a Tupperware party.

Ben also has no products for members to
sell.

Unlike Amway, Mary Kay, and other multi
-level marketing companies, the FTC says

are legal.

A real MLM will pay you for selling
products, and they're not requiring that

recruit new members to the scheme.

Thanks to technology, Bent members never
have to leave the house to invest or

recruit. It used to be folks would meet
in the living room. They would make

their pitch there. They might make their
pitch door to door. And so there's a

lot of legwork involved.

Because of Zoom and the ability to reach
people out of state, they can have

these conferences, these meetings on
Zoom with people all over the country.

Up next, the Moors free fall from grace
into a Texas courtroom.

LaShonda and Marlon Moore showed up at
the Collin County Courthouse with

security by their side.

I think the truth will come to light.

On June 15, 2021, the Texas Attorney
General announces civil charges

against Bent LLC and its co -founders,
LaShonda and Marlon Moore, for operating

an illegal pyramid scheme called
Blessings in No Time.

Two days later... The FTC with the state
of Arkansas...

has filed a federal action alleging
violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act

the Consumer Review Fairness Act.

The civil lawsuits halt Bint's
operations and allege the Moors scammed

millions of dollars from thousands of
African Americans and capitalized on

financial hardships during the pandemic.

At the outset of the pandemic, there was
a noticeable uptick.

in pyramid activity and related
complaints that the FTC received.

This is a time when folks may have been
laid off. They may have lost income and

may be more susceptible to fraudulent
money -making opportunities.

Between the FTC's joint case with
Arkansas and the Texas lawsuit, LaShonda

Marlon Moore have denied a total of 12
civil charges against them.

including an FTC violation for
threatening members who post on social

about Bent. Both cases say any money
accumulated by Bent is ill -gotten

gains that should be returned to the
victims.

The goal is always to get the money back
to consumers. But with that said,

seldom can the FTC make consumers whole
after fraud.

It's a rare genre.

There was no limit to how much money you
could put in, so that's why people were

not just losing $1 ,400.

They were losing up to $60 ,000.

So I wanted to tell their story.

Business reporter Natalie Walters fields
one tragic tale after another from bent

victims for the Dallas Morning News,
including the Fergusons.

I ended up spending $34 ,000 just on
boards.

That didn't count the $85 a month
connect me fee.

They put in their savings of $34 ,000.
They're the ones who needed justice.

I just wanted to think into the ground.

I was angry.

And all the older people who got their
money taken and didn't know how to get

back. In September 2022,

the Moores issued a response to a
deposition notice in the joint FTC in

case. and say they cannot afford third
-party representation because together

they have less than $25 ,000 and more
than $540 ,000 in debt.

Maybe the perpetrators don't have any
money, so they're changing attorneys,

which has happened in this case. And so
there's delay after delay.

In the Texas case, a civil judgment
against the Moores could lead to

charges.

And time behind bars.

Our AG wants to prosecute them to the
full extent of the law here in Texas.

if you operate a pyramid scheme, you can
face up to two years in state jail and

a fine of $10 ,000.

I remember LaShonda making a comment and
she said, So when I look at boards,

I don't see boards, I see food.

That's exactly where I'm hoping she
goes.

into themselves for a long, long time.

What was thought in no time would be a
blessing turned into a nightmare for

many.

Just what an evil couple to do such a
thing in such a time.

I'm going to do. I'm going to show you
my cash out right now. I'm going to put

it up on the screen so you guys can see.
He just told me not to make it about

money. It's about the blessing, y 'all.
It's about the blessing. He done told me

not to vote for somebody.