A new Dateline episode has brought renewed attention to one of California’s longest and most expensive missing persons cases. The murder of Palm Springs socialite Cliff Lambert, a complex story involving fake royalty, con artists, and a quest for justice that spanned nearly two decades, reached a pivotal moment in 2025 with the final sentencings of those responsible.
The Prince, The Whiz Kid & The Millionaire, reported by Josh Mankiewicz, aired on October 10, 2025 on NBC. The two-hour special included exclusive interviews and never-before-reported evidence, detailing how a group of four conspirators, including a self-proclaimed Nepalese prince, defrauded and killed the retired art collector. The broadcast is the culmination of years of reporting on the case.
The Victim and the Initial Meeting
Cliff Lambert was a 74-year-old retired art dealer and a well-known figure in Palm Springs. Friends described his home as making you feel like “you were in a millionaire’s home.” Despite his luxurious lifestyle, which included designer clothes and luxury cars, Lambert was described as a lonely man who was vulnerable after divorcing his partner in 2006. He used online dating websites, preferring men in their 20s, which is how he met Daniel “Danny” Garcia in the spring of 2008.
Lambert and Garcia connected through an online dating site, and Lambert flew Garcia to Palm Springs. However, Garcia quickly presented Lambert with a business investment scheme. Lambert saw through the act and rejected Garcia’s proposal, but Garcia had already managed to obtain Lambert’s personal information, including his credit card numbers. This rejection and access to Lambert’s wealth set the stage for a much darker plot.
The Elaborate Murder Plot
The scheme evolved beyond Garcia to include Kaushal Niroula, a San Francisco grifter who claimed to be an exiled prince from Nepal. Niroula posed as a lawyer handling a fake multi-million dollar inheritance to lure Lambert into a meeting. On December 5, 2008, Lambert believed he was meeting with Niroula, the fake lawyer, at his Palm Springs home. During this meeting, Niroula secretly let two accomplices, Miguel Bustamante and Craig McCarthy, into the house. The men fatally stabbed Lambert in his own kitchen.
After the killing, the group wrapped Lambert’s body in a rug, loaded it into his own Mercedes-Benz, and drove it to a remote area north of Los Angeles, where they buried him in a shallow grave. To cover their tracks and profit from the crime, the conspirators then worked to steal Lambert’s identity and assets. They fabricated powers of attorney with the help of David Replogle, a San Francisco lawyer who had previously represented Garcia. The group successfully drained over $185,000 from Lambert’s bank accounts and attempted to sell his Palm Springs home and art collection.
The Long Road to Justice
Lambert was reported missing by a friend just days after the murder, but his disappearance remained a mystery for years. His remains were not discovered until 2016 and 2017, when his jawbone and skull were found near the original burial site.
Within months of the 2008 murder, all six people involved in the plot had been arrested. Four of them—Garcia, Niroula, Bustamante, and Replogle—were charged with murder, conspiracy, and grand theft. By 2012, all four had been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, the case took a dramatic turn in 2016 when convictions for the four main defendants were overturned after a judge was secretly recorded making derogatory and biased comments about them.
This led to a series of retrials. While awaiting his new trial, Kaushal Niroula, who identified as a transgender woman, was beaten and strangled to death by another inmate in the Riverside County jail in 2022. The other three defendants were convicted again in a new round of trials. The legal saga finally concluded in 2025, when the last two defendants, Daniel Garcia and David Replogle, were sentenced to life without parole.
A Pattern of Manipulation
The Dateline episode highlights that Lambert was not Garcia’s only victim. The broadcast features an exclusive interview with Tyson Wrensch, a former close friend of Garcia’s from San Francisco. Wrensch recounts how Garcia stole his identity and drained his bank accounts. He reported the crime to police, but felt his concerns were dismissed.
“He says, ‘Look, Tyson. Until someone gets hurt, we’re really just not gonna have the ability to do anything about it,’” Wrensch told Dateline.
Tragically, Cliff Lambert was killed the following year. Wrensch, who is also the co-author of a book about the case called Until Someone Gets Hurt, stated that after getting his money back from the bank, he was determined to see Garcia face consequences. “I was pissed… And now, I had nothing but time and money. And I was gonna go get him,” he said.
The Prosecution’s Ordeal
The complexity of the case was a major challenge for prosecutors. The web of lies, cons, and grifts was so extensive that it was difficult to untangle. Prosecutor Lisa DiMaria described the immense effort it took to prepare for trial.
“It was, like, ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ falling into a rabbit hole. It took months of me eating, living, sleeping, breathing this case to sort it all out. My life was this case,” DiMaria said.
The legal process was further complicated by the defendants, particularly Garcia and Niroula, who chose to represent themselves after going through nine different court-appointed attorneys. DiMaria noted that the court saw the case 128 times over a two-year period before the initial trials even began, a tactic she attributed to their manipulative nature. “Because the Defendants are con artists. And they conned the court,” she stated.
Even after the final sentences were handed down, the prosecutor expressed mixed emotions. Following Garcia’s sentencing, Lisa DiMaria acknowledged her frustration that the case had been drawn out for so many years due to the overturned convictions. She emphasized that the evidence was never in question, stating, “There was never a question about innocence. There was never a question about whether or not he did it.” She added, “The most aggravating part is that he conned and manipulated the system, just like he did with his victims. The criminal justice system was played just like all of the victims were.”
Daniel Garcia continues to maintain his innocence, denying any role in the killing and blaming the murder on Niroula and the other defendants.
Also Read: Liam Hemsworth Was Hesitant to Become The Witcher’s New Geralt
Credits: nbcnews.com
