True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers

Hosts Julie Golden and Kim Kantner dive headfirst into the story behind the murder of a reclusive, gay Palm Springs millionaire, Cliff Lambert. Their first introduction to the story comes by way of a warning: very few people are likely to talk about this story because the characters behind the murder are that scary. Those characters are a gang of charming, charismatic, and ultimately dangerous con men - ...

Tyson Wrensch knows the exact moment that Danny Garcia got past his defenses. It was when, early in their friendship, Danny told him about Bay Area millionaire philanthropist Thomas White – and the abuse he suffered at his hands. Tyson was moved by the trust he felt Danny had put in him. And that made Tyson trust Danny. But as Julie and Kim consider this pivotal moment, it raises new questions – how coul...

Kim and Julie set out to uncover the origin of Kaushal Niroula - a story that does start in Nepal, but not in any royal palace. Instead, they discover a poor young man with his eye on America and the drive to get there on his charm alone. Befriending an administrator from New College of California scores Kaushal the student visa he needs to make it to San Francisco and on campus he presents himself as a ...

How did Kaushal go from nearly broke to Armani suits, private limos, and a suite at the Four Seasons where the staff referred to him as “your Highness”? A prison interview from Danny gives Kim and Julie a clue - maybe the answer is in Hawaii. It’s there that Kaushal befriends Keiko, a Japanese businesswoman and mother of two on vacation. Like all of Kaushal and Danny’s victims, Keiko is smart and compete...

After returning from Hawaii, Kaushal is riding high and living large. He and Danny continue to mix with the upper echelons of the Castro’s gay scene which is how Kaushal becomes friends with Stephen Valentino, a bon vivant radio personality, host, and opera singer. Eventually, Stephen lets Kaushal move in with him and his ailing mother. Stephen doesn’t know it, but this choice will land him a front row s...

Kim and Julie have tracked Kaushal and Danny from visa scams to jewel theft to art fraud. Now, finally, they begin to see how it all leads to murder. Since pulling off their lucrative art con, Danny and Kaushal’s friendship has mended though they don’t seem to be working together. But Danny, it seems, has been working Cliff - a beloved but lonely man looking for love. After connecting online, Cliff invit...

Kim and Julie arrive back near where we started our story - with a missing person, but no body and no leads. As they try to unravel how the murder was discovered, their first surprise comes from Dennis, Danny’s cousin and an accomplice in former cons. According to him, there wasn’t originally supposed to be a murder at all. That realization leads them to question why that plan changed. We also meet Mark Evans, a wealthy realtor in ...

Kaushal and Danny have just gotten away with murder. Literally. They move swiftly to put Cliff’s affairs in their control, using a notary public to notarize the “sale” of Cliff’s home to Kaushal and roping in a former unwitting accomplice in the art fraud to impersonate Cliff and withdraw money from his accounts. Now, they turn their attention to their biggest score yet - the theft of multiple high-end c...

Kim and Julie unravel the complex web of events that unfold in the months after Cliff’s murder - and the ordinary people who are key to bringing down these extraordinary conmen. In San Francisco, a notary public meets with someone claiming to be Cliff to notarize the sale of his home. As part of the sale, a thumbprint is inked in the notary’s book. A few days later, Kaushal asks realtor Mark Evans to sel...

Once Detective Min of the PSPD ties Miguel Bustamante to Kaushal Niroula and Danny Garcia, he’s able to begin connecting the dots. And there are a lot of dots. But what they don’t have is a body. And like they say, “no body, no crime.” With the clock ticking and a very real chance that Kaushal and Danny will disappear if they get wind of Bustamante’s arrest, detectives get the OK to make the arrests anyw...

In the end, despite the courtroom dramatics, Kaushal, Danny, and their accomplices are all found guilty of Cliff Lambert’s murder. Kaushal and Danny - along with Miguel Bustamante and Danny and Kaushal’s regular comrade David Replogle - are all sentenced to life without parole. For Cliff’s friends, for the other victims of their cons, and for Tyson Wrensch, this verdict should finally provide the closure...

The twist is revealed - secret recordings Danny and Kaushal made in the courtroom which incriminate the judge who is heard making stunning pro-prosecution and anti-gay remarks. The revelation wins Danny and Kaushal new trials – and new trials for Miguel Bustamante and David Replogle too. Tyson finds himself faced with the possibility that the men he helped take down may go free. And to make matters worse...