Confidence Man - Married to a Lie
I wish I could say that the infidelity was the worst of it and that she never heard from him again–but this story is far darker and more twisted than anyone could have imagined.
I met Edwina Adams through social media in the fall of 2025. While searching for my next story, I made a post–and she commented on it: “I have a very unique life story–DM me if you’re interested.” Of course, I was intrigued, so I reached out to her.
We met not long after that first exchange online, and by the end of our first meeting, I knew this was a story begging to be told. Edwina and I didn’t know it then, but we’d soon find ourselves partnering up to tell her story with full transparency for the first time.
Initially, Edwina was hesitant to reveal the name of the man she had been married to almost two decades ago. Fear had burrowed into the heart of her story, largely because her ex-husband was not who she thought he was, and she was uncertain what he might be capable of.
Now remarried with children, Edwina’s safety concerns grew. She told me her ex had reached out repeatedly over the years.
Occasionally, she'd receive cryptic emails from people claiming to know her ex. Each one turned out to be him using false identities. After uncovering the truth, she withdrew from online visibility out of fear. Once, he left a review on her business’s Google page, but quickly deleted it. A taunt, she assumed. A reminder that he could see her and knew where to find her.
She stayed silent for years—if she didn't stir the pot, she reasoned, he would lose interest and move on. Unfortunately, this proved useless. He continued to poke and prod, year after year.
Finally, she decided enough was enough. If being silent wasn’t going to solve anything, then she would start making noise.
Fast forward a few years to the two of us sitting across from each other over coffee as she told me the most bizarre story I've ever heard. She revealed the name of her former husband to me–a name she had never revealed publicly. For the very first time, she decided that she was ready to open the floodgates, come what may.
I was deeply honored that Edwina chose me of all people to share this story. It feels like fate that we met randomly over Instagram all those months ago. What began as a regular interview for a blog post, turned into months of research and mind blowing revelations that I now get to share with all of you.
This is the story of Edwina Adams and how she came to marry a con man.
Daniel Lee Marshall
Daniel Lee Marshall. Photo Courtesy of Edwina Adams
Edwina Adams is the middle child, with a sister six years older and another six years younger. She grew up in a Navy family, often relocating to different cities and states–a common reality for military families.
Now living on her own, Edwina was drawn by the coast and a sense of adventure, so she moved to Galveston, Texas, at the age of nineteen. She left a comfortable office position, took a waitressing job, and started attending college. While waitressing, she met Daniel Lee Marshall, Jr., who was tall, attentive, attractive, and supportive of her independent nature. They began dating and quickly became fixtures in one another’s lives.
After nearly three years together, Daniel’s job took him to San Antonio, and he asked Edwina to go with him. Already living with him–a situation she hadn't envisioned–she declined to move merely for a boyfriend.
Expecting things to end, she was surprised when Daniel asked for her father’s permission and proposed while they were visiting her parents out of state. She happily accepted. By then, Edwina had run out of money for college and returned to office work to pay her bills.
Edwina and Daniel on their wedding day - photo courtesy of Edwina Adams
Moving to San Antonio, Edwina wanted financial independence before marrying. Without a degree, she worked various jobs and worried about the future. Considering the Air Force Reserve, she met with a recruiter in secret, took the ASVAB, and chose the medical field.
When she told Daniel, he was excited and supportive, appreciating her independence.
She signed up and left for Bootcamp a month after their wedding, then completed training to become an Aeromedical Technician and Flight Surgeon’s Assistant, spending months away from home.
Military life felt familiar and comfortable to her, something she and Daniel had in common. Daniel, known as “Ranger Dan,” was a former Army Ranger awarded two Purple Hearts for his service.
Edwina would eventually train to become a civilian paramedic, working on ambulances responding to 9-1-1 calls, while also serving as a flight medic in the Air Force Reserve.
Photo courtesy of Edwina Adams
Over the course of their marriage, Daniel’s work led them to move several times. They moved from Houston to San Antonio, and later to the Dallas area just before their wedding in 2000.
Then, in early 2001, he accepted a job at DFW Airport. By that point, he and Edwina had purchased property north of Dallas. Several months later, following the events of 9/11, Daniel lost his job due to the economic downturn. He still had many professional connections in Houston who could help him find work, so while Edwina stayed in the Dallas area for her military and EMS commitments, they agreed to live apart during the week, meeting on weekends or whenever possible to maintain their relationship.
At the time, Edwina didn’t realize the consequences of these prolonged separations, but they ultimately allowed Daniel to live a double life and continue his con. Daniel was working in the Huntsville and College Station area as a landman–a job that involved land title research–and Edwina joined him in December of 2005. Once reunited in College Station, they began to settle into what seemed like a normal married routine.
However, Edwina began noticing inconsistencies in Daniel’s stories and would confront him about them. Each time she questioned him, he would resort to gaslighting and quick flashes of anger–not physically violent at first, but intimidating nonetheless.
It took a turn for the worst when she found emails proving infidelity, which of course he denied. During a confrontation about what she discovered, the situation turned violent and Edwina cowered in a corner as Daniel became increasingly belligerent.
He turned to the nearest item–a toilet–and kicked it as hard as he could, shattering it completely. For the first time ever, Edwina feared for her safety.
She left immediately and vowed never to go back. She quickly filed for divorce and maintained minimal contact, retrieving her belongings and making a decisive break.
I wish I could end the story here, noting that Edwina escaped the marriage with only a bruised heart and a decade of lost time. I wish I could say the infidelity was the worst of it and that she never heard from him again–but this story is far darker and more twisted than anyone could have foreseen.
Red Flags
When they first started dating, Edwina noticed her family was not especially taken with him. She dismissed their hesitation, assuming they were simply protective when it came to bringing someone new into the fold. They had shown the same territorial streak with her siblings’ partners before, so she assumed they were just being close-minded as usual.
Looking back, Edwina now knows that there were red flags. She recalled an odd moment early in their relationship when Daniel called her at work. He had been arrested and he asked her if she would come to his court hearing for support. She was shocked and initially planned to break off the relationship because being with the kind of man who got arrested was the last thing she thought she would be a part of.
What made it odd was that the call came from a deputy, who then handed the phone to Daniel. In case you’re not aware, this isn’t normal. Anyone who has been arrested or is incarcerated typically gets one or two phone calls which are made from the provided phones at the correctional facility where they are held.
They are collect calls, not calls where a deputy is helping you get access to someone, and this is not what should have happened on this day. Edwina pointed to that odd interaction as one of the reasons she ultimately reaffirmed her trust in the person she thought she knew. She attended the court hearing for Daniel and heard the judge speak highly of Daniel’s military service, including his two Purple Hearts.
He doted on Daniel, referencing not only his military record, but his impeccable character. This strengthened her resolve to stand by the man she was falling for. The arrest stemmed from a charge of forgery of an instrument–a felony in Texas that can result in 180 days to two years of incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000.
Daniel maintained that an employer had failed to pay him for months and owed him a significant sum for unpaid work and that, in response, he wrote checks to himself for only what he claimed was the outstanding balance and admitted it was a horrible mistake done in anger.
Though undeniably a crime, the words of the deputy, the attorney, and the judge convinced her to stay. They portrayed Daniel as ‘upstanding’ and ‘honorable.’ He avoided prison with shock probation, and for the next ten years they were together he stayed out of trouble—or so she believed.
He took pride in his military veteran status and the advantages it afforded him. It often translated into instant respect from those he encountered and clearly proved advantageous when he found himself in trouble with the law–which, as it turned out, was not uncommon.
During their divorce, Edwina began uncovering more inconsistencies in Daniel’s story, and it all came to a head when she got a call from Marcus Luttrell.
Marcus Luttrell is the Navy SEAL whose life story was turned into the book and blockbuster movie, Lone Survivor.
Edwina and Daniel had been friends with the Luttrell family for years before the divorce. Calls from Marcus weren't uncommon–but this one was different. In a solemn tone, Marcus explained how distraught Daniel was and made it clear he was calling on his behalf, hoping she would reconsider the relationship.
At that time, Edwina was confused and just beginning to learn that not everything she believed about Daniel might be true. She didn’t have proof, though, and being that she had already experienced violent outbursts by him during their separation and after their divorce, she was scared to say too much–especially to one of his closest friends. She nervously told him she “didn’t think Daniel was everything he claimed to be.” She told him, “Please do your own research,” and left it at that. Three years would pass before she discovered that the stories she and the Luttrells had been told were vastly different.
Breaking Point
She would eventually uncover the tactics Daniel used to position himself within the inner circle of Marcus Luttrell and his family. He had even managed to be identified as “MSgt. Daniel Marshall” in a photograph that appeared in Luttrell’s book, Lone Survivor. In time, she would learn the truth about how he had actually met Luttrell–and it was a far cry from the story he had told her.
Photo from Marcus Luttrell’s book Lone Survivor. Daniel’s face has been blacked out.
Over the next few years, Marcus would also come to the shocking realization that Daniel was not who he had always claimed to be. It all reached a breaking point during a gala honoring Marcus, an event Daniel attended.
Through a series of events, Daniel would eventually be arrested for the theft of a firearm belonging to Marcus, and his web of lies came completely undone.
Several major newspapers reported the story, so the silver lining was that Daniel had finally been exposed. He had another felony conviction, and his fraudulent persona was plastered across the internet. Daniel was not only a liar and a thief, but he was never an Army Ranger, and was never awarded any Purple Hearts, let alone two. His military time was basically non-existent.
It was shocking to realize that not only had she been duped, but so had a sitting judge, a lawyer, a Special Forces operative, and many other high-ranking military individuals they had met along the way.
Daniel was finally behind bars, but a 2012 Supreme Court ruling had made it legal to engage in “Stolen Valor” schemes, so his conviction ultimately applied only to the stolen firearm. He only spent a four years in prison before being released in 2018.
Image 1: Daniels fake uniform which was recovered from his home after his arrest.
Image 2: Daniel's truck, which he wrapped with Marcus Luttrell's nonprofit information
Image 3: Daniel in his fake Army Ranger uniform. This image was taken from his Facebook page that has since been deleted. It has been used in almost every news report about his arrest online.
All photos are courtesy of Edwina Adams.
The Truth
Daniel Lee Marshall, Jr. is a con man who has been spinning the same web of lies for years.
He still maintains that he is a former Army Ranger and is connected with high-powered individuals in the Texas government. Some of these individuals are people who knew him before Edwina or the Luttrells, and they know of the articles about him in The Houston Chronicle.
Regardless of these damning reports, they are still under his spell, believing he is the elite military combat veteran he has always claimed to be. His con is elaborate. It offers him money and status and helps him evade the consequences of his actions.
He uses intimidation to keep people silent, afraid to call him out publicly. People fear his retaliation or are embarrassed to admit he conned them so they stay silent. Because of this, he continues to fool and manipulate others. He is good at surrounding himself with legitimate, powerful people who will vouch for him, so he can continue living the lie.
Edwina Adams
Photo courtesy of Edwina Adams
The hope in sharing this story is that those being deceived will have their blinders removed. There are many people out there just like Daniel. You might know someone just like him.
If you have a similar story, it's important to know that you are not alone—and that healing is possible.
Despite having her world turned upside down by a con man, Edwina has built a career doing the opposite of what was done to her. On her website, edwinaadams.com, Edwina’s bio reads:
“Edwina "The Encourager" Adams is a brand and narrative strategist, keynote speaker, and business consultant who helps ambitious experts overcome their fear of visibility and transform their personal stories into authentic authority.
A military veteran and retired paramedic with nearly two decades of entrepreneurial experience, Edwina has founded and sold multiple businesses, including one of America's first automated trash can cleaning services.
After surviving a near-death health crisis in 2020, Edwina decided it was time to stop hiding and start making NOISE—her signature acronym for a Narrative Of Inspiration, Strength & Encouragement.
Today, Edwina is the founder of Authentic Authority Academy, where she teaches experts how to confidently own their expertise and build what she calls "eye-to-eye influence" in a world increasingly dominated by AI and manufactured personas.
She is the co-author of "Dare to Dream Big," and host of the "Let's Make Some Noise" podcast. When she's not coaching, speaking, or consulting, you'll find this loyal friend, loving wife, and mom painting and rocking her collection of cool shoes.”
It has taken her 19 years, but Edwina is finally writing the true crime memoir, I Married a Con Man, that shares not just what Daniel did, but how he did it. You can learn more about it on her website at edwinaadams.com/books.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”—Genesis 50:20–22
