Kriti Mehrotra
With ABC’s ‘Betrayal: Secrets & Lies: Latter Day Lies’ living up to its title in every way imaginable, we get a deep insight into the crimes of LDS Church bishop Shawn Merriman and how they impacted his family. After all, he led a double life for over a decade by running a $20 million Ponzi scheme, only to come clean in 2009 – he told his family the truth and then turned himself in to federal authorities. His wife, Andrea Merriman, had no idea about her husband’s scheming ways or that his actions would shatter her entire world, but they did, and she gradually rebuilt herself.
Andrea Merriman Had No Idea Her Husband Was Committing Fraud
Andrea Merriman was a young woman determined to build a good, independent life for herself when she first came across Shawn Merriman at Brigham Young University in Provo. She was reportedly pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a focus on Advertising and Public Relations, whereas he was studying Economics and also had a keen interest in Finance. From what we can tell, their romance was not a whirlwind but rather a relationship built on good communication, mutual respect, and shared faith, since they both proudly belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Andrea and Shawn tied the knot in a beautifully cozy ceremony not long after they graduated on August 5, 1989, shortly following which they relocated and settled down in Denver, Colorado. That’s where he pursued a Master’s in Business Administration while she kickstarted her career as a Public Relations Manager at The National Potato Promotion Board (1990-1991). Then, while he gradually rose to become an executive at a successful financial investment company and later became the bishop at their local church, she worked as a freelancer and homemaker. Not only did she give birth to 4 adorable children, but she also served as a Freelance Communications Liaison for their church (1994-2008) and a Consultant at Gold Ribbon Families Foundation (2008-2009).
Andrea had no financial worries during these years, as her husband provided for her and their young children; they led a very comfortable life with no needs that couldn’t be met. According to her accounts, she believed they were worth over $10 million at one point, yet everything turned upside down in late 2009 when her husband told her he was living a double life. The next thing she knew, he was in federal custody, their extensive assets were seized as the authorities determined they had been acquired using his clients’ money, and the federal investigators were heading their way to question her potential involvement in his Ponzi scheme. She lost her bank accounts, her home, her car, and all her material possessions, but authorities soon cleared her name for good.
With Her Children Being Her Motivation, Andrea Worked Hard to Rebuild Their Lives
“I remember thinking… at the time (of this entire ordeal), ‘I’m humiliated to be married to a criminal. I’m humiliated getting divorced,'” Andrea candidly told People in an exclusive interview in 2025. She continued to add that she was “humiliated to go from riches to rags” in such a public manner, especially as the man she trusted with everything for over two decades was responsible for it all. She even felt a lot of guilt once she learned their entire lifestyle had been funded by money he had defrauded from over a hundred trusting clients who just wanted to make good financial investment decisions. She wondered whether things would have been different if she “hadn’t been such a peacemaker… such a kind and supportive wife… so trusting,” but she knew she couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for long because she had a family to care for.
After Shawn was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison, Andrea was essentially homeless and penniless, so she made the decision to move back to her home state of Utah. She had little to no support at the time – there was no family to whom she could turn for aid (her parents had sadly passed away years prior), and the community was angry at her ex-husband for his actions. Nevertheless, she didn’t pull back or even spend a day in bed to wallow in her grief; she had her 4 children she needed to look after and “was afraid I would never be able to pull myself out if I did.”
Andrea secured a Public Relations Manager position at LifeVantage in 2009, only to serve there for less than 4 years while also finding a way to share her story in hopes of helping others. She started a blog in 2010, where she not only shared her account of what had transpired but also put out her name and email address so others could contact her for any kind of advice. She then landed an administrative role at Brigham Young University, where she gradually rose through the ranks and now serves as the Career Director at the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering. We should mention she was also an Online Instructor at BYU-Idaho and BYU Pathway from 2020 to 2025.
Andrea is Thriving as a Strength Coach and Resilience Influencer With the Support of Her Family
While Andrea had begun sharing her story through her blog back in 2010 and later through public speaking, she turned to a new platform in 2025 after speaking to a group of 20-somethings at a public event. They suggested she start a TikTok account to have her tale of struggles and rebirth reach a new generation, so she spoke to her kids – the youngest of whom had just graduated high school – and began a new journey. She had no idea her first video would go viral, amass 10 million views, and gain her thousands of followers – in fact, as of writing, she has over 86,000 followers and more than 1.8 million likes.
Andrea has since shared that after a lot of therapy and learning to rely on her faith, she has forgiven Shawn. However, she admitted she didn’t do it for him; she did it for herself because she knew she couldn’t really move on in life if he was still occupying real estate in her mind and heart. She still believes in trust and the kindness of others, recognizing that people consciously choose to act with integrity every day. “Trust is a choice,” she told People. “Moving forward is a choice. Resilience… it’s a skill, but it’s a choice. We have more choices than we realize, but when we acknowledge that, we take control of our agency and choose to act rather than be acted upon.”
Therefore, when Andrea found herself falling for a fraud investigator after a chance encounter and realized the feelings were mutual, she chose to jump in headfirst. The irony of her first husband being a Ponzi schemer and her now-second husband being a fraud investigator is not lost on her, but she knows she has something special with the latter. Andrea and David Neuenswander continue to reside in Utah, where they have blended their families and are now surrounded by 7 children, of whom the former’s 4 have all left the nest, and 2 have even married. As if that’s not enough, they have since combined their two perspectives to help others recognize scams, invest wisely, and focus on sound opportunities. The Career Director, wife, mother, and stepmother, also continues to serve as a public speaker today. She is currently even working on her debut book, ‘Everything Collapsed Except Me.’
Read More: Zach Horwitz’s Net Worth: How Rich is the Convicted Fraudster?
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