Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Fertility Fraud’ of ABC’s ‘Betrayal: Secrets & Lies,’ the primary focus is on the allegations of fraud and lies against Neil Lawman of Essex, England. Having claimed that he could not father any children of his, his former girlfriend, Tina Maia, was shocked when she found herself pregnant with his child. In the documentary, several of his other alleged lies and his possible involvement in fraudulent schemes are also highlighted through interviews.
Neil Lawman is Alleged to Have Lied About His Marriage and Infertility to Tina
Hailing from Essex, England, Neil Lawman was only 14 years old when he found out that his biological father had allegedly abandoned them and that he was raised by his stepfather. In his late teens, he allegedly became a father for the first time to a 15-year-old girl’s child. It is alleged that he was too young for the responsibilities of fatherhood and ran from them. In 2016, he crossed paths with a woman named Tina Maia at a tech conference in London. Although they exchanged contact information in a professional capacity, Neil allegedly began texting her and asked her out for drinks. During their meetup, Tina opened up about her past, which included an ex-husband and her son.
Neil also talked about his ex-wife, with whom he alleged that he lived in America. He further alleged that she had cheated on him with his best friend. He claimed that his infertility was the reason behind his wife leaving him. Neil also told Tina that he couldn’t have kids because he battled testicular cancer. In the months that followed, Neil and Tina’s bond grew stronger, and they began dating casually. Unexpectedly, she got pregnant with a child, which came as a shock to her since Neil had told her that he was infertile. However, when she told him about the pregnancy, he claimed that it was impossible as he had gotten a vasectomy. Tina alleged that he also sent her a series of nasty voice mails, claiming that he had reported her to the police for harassment and entrapment.
She then cut off her ties with Neil and continued with her pregnancy, surrounded by the support of her loved ones. She gave birth to the baby, who was diagnosed with a severe lung infection. As the doctors suggested a blood transfusion, Tina asked one of Neil’s friends to let him know about the situation and see if he was willing to help the newborn. Instead of supporting her, Neil allegedly sent her a thread of abusive messages and refused to help the baby. Fortunately, the baby survived. Later, upon calling the child support agency, Tina discovered that Neil was unemployed, as the government had no record of him owning a business or earning income. He also reportedly had three other children, which contradicted his claims of being infertile.
Neil Lawman Has Been Linked to Multiple Fraudulent Schemes
Tina Maia then dug deeper into Neil Lawman’s life and reached out to his ex-wife, Wendy. The ex-wife told her that they had been together for about a decade, during which they had two daughters. Wendy claimed that Neil then suddenly left them with a significant amount of debt. She further told Tina that she also found out that he had previously fathered two sons before their daughters. After catching up with each other, the two women sent him a picture of them on email, after which he allegedly sent threatening emails to them. Tina then reported his threats to the police, who had already investigated him for a high-profile fraud case of the Fimbo wine scheme.
Neil had also reportedly been accused of involvement in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and other crimes. Although he reportedly had five convictions to his name, he didn’t serve prison time for any of them. While the authorities worked to have him arrested, Tina established a Facebook group called the Neil Lawman Support Group, whose members alleged that he ran several schemes and claimed he had a pattern of befriending people and getting closer to them before taking over their businesses. Neil then allegedly founded a copy of the same business and took the customers of the original business for his profit. Despite all these allegations, Neil seems to be leading a life of freedom, away from the spotlight.
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