Drew Nelson

Participants were told their money was guaranteed and that refunds would be issued if they were not satisfied.

Federal investigators say neither promise was true.

One of the victims, Rosetta Fleming, says she and her husband invested more than $6,000.

She spoke to KXAS about the emotional toll.

Fleming says participants did not see the program as a risk.

According to the Department of Justice, the Moores structured Bent as a classic pyramid scheme using so-called playing boards, where participants had to recruit new members to move up and receive payouts.

Prosecutors say the couple placed themselves in positions that guaranteed they collected the largest payments, while most participants lost everything.

An attorney for Marlon Moore told KXAS the couple tried to fix the program after it grew out of control.

The Moores now face potential decades in federal prison when they are sentenced later this year.

They are currently being held in the Fannin County Jail.

Shock ripples through a small North Carolina town after its police chief is jailed on child sex charges, with prosecutors detailing allegations involving secret photos taken while a child slept.

Gregory Warren, chief of Newton Grove Police Department, is behind bars facing seven felonies, including indecent liberties with a child and multiple counts of felony secret peeping.

State investigators say the alleged crimes involve a juvenile girl and date back to 2023.

According to arrest warrants, Warren is accused of going into the child's bedroom and taking explicit photographs while she was asleep.

During a court hearing, special prosecutor Donna Rainwater described the evidence in blunt terms.

Investigators say additional examination of Warren's devices revealed images tied to the allegations, along with apps prosecutors described as having no legitimate purpose.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation launched the investigation at the request of the Sampson County Sheriff's Office after deputies received the initial allegations.

SBI agents arrested Warren on Wednesday.

The arrest has stunned residents in Newton Grove, which is a small town in Sampson County.

One of those residents is Brandy Melby, speaking to WNCN.