Dateline: Who was Liam Allen and what do we know about his crimes? Details from The Mystery Man, explored

Dateline has covered some truly bonkers stories, but this one feels like it was plucked from a fever dream of a spy movie gone very wrong. In this feature, Dateline: The Mystery Man, we're served the tale of Liam Allen - a smooth-talking British-accented Romeo who wasn't a spy, but rather a master con artist.

He seduced, lied, and stole from women across the globe, including one incredibly brave woman who turned the tables on him.

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NBC Dateline covers a British spy… or just a guy named William?

Okay, picture this: You're on a dating site, you're vulnerable, just trying to find someone who gets you. Then, bam! In sweeps "Liam Allen", British accent and all, claiming he's basically James Bond with a helicopter license and Oxford credentials.

That's what happened to Mischele Lewis, a nurse, and a single mom in New Jersey. "Liam" said he worked for the UK Ministry of Defense. He spun tales about international missions, elite training, and needing "security clearance" just so they could be together.

Sounds romantic. Or suspicious. Spoiler: It's the latter.

As recounted on NBC's Dateline, Mischele, like most of us would be, was charmed. She fell in love with Liam. They talked about marriage. Kids. He even celebrated Thanksgiving with her family - his first "American" one.

But soon, things started to feel off. The guy disappeared constantly, told increasingly weird stories, and in a move that sounds like it was cribbed from a bad thriller, had two fake "agents" call Mischele to extract personal details and payments for "security clearance."

She ended up sending more than $1,200. Why? Because she thought she was entering the world of international espionage - when really, she was walking into the twisted mind of William Allen Jordan.

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The name is Jordan. William Allen Jordan.

That's right - Liam Allen wasn't real. But William Allen Jordan definitely was, and NBC Dateline peels back every ugly layer of his past. On Valentine's Day, 2014, with Liam ghosting Mischele again, she went through his wallet. Inside, she found an ID that read William Allen Jordan.

A quick Google search led her to a horrifying truth: he was a convicted sex offender and bigamist, once married to two women at the same time in the UK. And that wild spy story? Yeah, he'd told it before. Multiple times. To multiple women.

According to Dateline, Mischele said;

“I wanted to give him a biological person who belonged with him… He played on my nurturing instincts.”

Her heartbreak turned to horror when she discovered he had fathered at least 13 children with 8 women. One ex, Mary Turner Thomson, had written a box chronicling the £198,000 (that's over $330,000!) he stole from her.

Jordan had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraud, bigamy, and failing to register as a sex offender. He served two and a half years in prison and was deported...only to pull the same exact scam again in the U.S.

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Deception and a homemade sting

But here's where it gets Dateline level juicy. Instead of falling apart, Mischele got smart. Real smart. She strapped on a hidden camera and pretended to forgive him - recording his confessions as he admitted to conning her out of £2,000. With that footage in hand, and in collaboration with local police, she helped take Jordan down.

He was arrested in April 2014 and charged with theft by deception and impersonating a government official.

During his 2015 trial, prosecutors revealed Jordan had scammed at least 21 women across five countries, pocketing over £300,000. He ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to pay $4,383 in restitution. He told the court;

“All I can do, once again, as I did before, is to apologize for what happened...And yes, I desperately wanted to… make amends as best as I possibly can.”

Dateline didn't stop there.It followed Mischele's next mission: trying to change the law. She pushed for legislation that would criminalize sexual assault by deception, arguing that his lies about identity should be considered a form of violation. She said;

“I want to give society more of a chance to feel safe from predators like him...”

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Dateline has uncovered conmen, killers, and cults - but William "Liam" Allen Jordan is in a league of his own. He duped women worldwide with a fake life and a fake name, until Mischele Lewis fought back.

Her story isn't just one of heartbreak. It's one of bravery, justice, and a woman refusing to be a victim.

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