Black Coffee, Crime, and Crochet a True Crime Podcast11 Nov 2025

🎙️Episode 15: Influencer Scam Era Series Pt. 1- Blessings In No Time – Faith, Family & the Sou-Sou Scheme

When faith meets fraud, the fallout hits different. In this episode of Black Coffee, Crime & Crochet, we unravel the story of Marlon and LaShonda Moore, the Texas power couple behind Blessings In No Time (BINT), a so-called “faith-based wealth movement” that promised financial freedom to thousands during the pandemic.

But behind the gospel quotes and Zoom calls was a ten-million-dollar pyramid scheme that preyed on trust, community, and culture. We explore how BINT used the familiar language of sou-sous, traditional African and Caribbean savings circles, to mask a modern-day scam, and how desperation, social media, and stimulus checks created the perfect storm.

So grab your iced brown sugar vanilla oat milk latte and settle in, because this one’s part sermon, part scam, and all deception. Black Coffee, Crime & Crochet, where iced coffee meets true crime, one stitch and scam at a time.

When “group economics” turns into group exploitation.

Marlon and LaShonda Moore, former 106 & Park DJ and real estate agent, built Blessings In No Time (BINT) during the pandemic.
Pitched as a “faith-based sou-sou,” BINT encouraged members to invest $1,400 in exchange for $11,200 returns.
Members were told it was a blessing circle rooted in community and Black empowerment.
In reality, it was an illegal pyramid scheme that exploited trust and faith.
By 2023, the FTC and Texas Attorney General had ordered the Moores to pay more than $10.7 million and banned them from similar ventures.

Cultural Context:

Sou-sous, also known as esusu, partner, or asue, are legitimate, centuries-old savings systems in West Africa and the Caribbean built on trust, discipline, and community.
Unlike pyramid schemes, no one profits off recruitment. Everyone contributes equally and receives once.

Key Takeaways:

Faith and familiarity can be powerful manipulation tools.
Scammers often use cultural language to create trust.
Real sou-sous build communities; blessing looms destroy them.
Every scam has a sermon.

Iced Coffee of the Week Iced Brown Sugar Vanilla Oat Milk Latte

2 shots espresso or strong coffee
1½ tablespoons brown sugar syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ ounce vanilla syrup
¾ cup oat milk and ice

Crochet Project of the Week

Another upate on the polo for hubby using the 3mm hook.

Sip or Spill

Were Marlon and LaShonda Moore evil masterminds or just greedy influencers who believed their own hype?

Connect and Support
Instagram & TikTok: @blackcoffeecrimecrochet
Patreon: HERE

Sources & References:

Federal and Legal Documentation:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC). United States of America v. Blessings In No Time, LLC, Marlon Moore, and LaShonda Moore. Case No. 4:21-cv-00518 (E.D. Tex., 2021).
State of Texas v. Blessings In No Time, LLC, Marlon Moore, and LaShonda Moore. Office of the Attorney General of Texas Consumer Protection Division, 2021.
Federal Trade Commission Press Release, “Texas-Based Operators of Alleged Pyramid Scheme to Pay $10 Million in Settlement,” July 2023.
U.S. Department of Justice, Pyramid Scheme and Fraudulent Investment Enforcement Actions, 2021–2023 archive.

News and Media Coverage:

CNBC. American Greed: “Blessings in No Time” (Season 16, Episode 10), originally aired 2024.
The Washington Post. “The ‘Blessings in No Time’ Scam: How a Couple Used Faith and Facebook to Defraud Thousands,” April 2023.
NBC News. “Texas Couple Ordered to Pay $10.7M Over Pyramid Scheme Targeting Black Families,” July 2023.
The Dallas Morning News. “Marlon and LaShonda Moore, Known for ‘Family or Fiancé,’ Face Federal Fraud Judgment,” June 2023.
BET.com. “From 106 & Park to the FTC: The Story of DJ ASAP’s Blessings In No Time Scheme,” August 2023.
Essence Magazine. “Faith, Finances, and Fraud: How the BINT Scandal Shook Black Online Communities,” August 2023.

Academic and Historical Context:

Basu, K. (2015). Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in West Africa: Historical and Economic Perspectives. Journal of African Economies.
Lightfoot, N. (2019). African Diaspora Finance: Sou-Sous, Esusu, and Community Wealth-Building. Routledge Press.
Bank of Jamaica. “Partner, Box Hand, and Asue: Informal Finance in Caribbean Communities,” Economic Review, 2020.
IMF Working Paper: The Economics of Rotating Savings Associations in Africa and the Caribbean, 2018.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information Blog. “Blessing Looms: There’s Nothing Blessed About Them,” April 2021.
U.S. Attorney General Consumer Alert. “Illegal Pyramid Schemes Masquerading as Sou-Sous,” April 2021.

Cultural and Community Insights:

Black Enterprise. “Understanding the Sou-Sou Tradition: Its History and Misuse in Modern Times,” February 2021.
The Gleaner (Jamaica). “Sou-Sou: A Caribbean Tradition Rooted in African Cooperation,” June 2020.
NPR. Planet Money Segment: “How Sou-Sous Built Black Wealth Long Before Banks Did,” May 2022.
Vox. “Pandemic Payouts and Pyramid Schemes: Why Blessing Circles Went Viral,” March 2021.

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