True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers

True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers

Kaushal Niroula and Danny Garcia - two gay con artists who committed crimes from San Francisco to Hawaii to Mexico, each one more unbelievable than the last. They were tracked for years by Tyson Wrensch, a citizen detective who vowed to bring them to justice after they emptied his bank accounts. Kaushal and Danny masqueraded as real estate moguls, art dealers, bankers and even royalty – taking advantage of corruption and weaknesses in the American business structure – the banking system, academia, immigration laws, the private fine-art market, and more. They even conned each other. They were never pursued by law enforcement for their crimes until they committed the one crime they couldn’t con their way out of: murder.

Episodes

Cons. Disguises. Manipulation. Murder. | True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers

January 24, 2025 • 1 min
A new podcast series about a pair of con men whose escalating crimes of greed left a trail of victims in their wake. The show follows the stories of Kaushal Niroula, Danny Garcia, and the victims whose bank accounts they drained and lives they upended. The two men masqueraded as real estate moguls, art dealers, bankers, and even royalty as their web of manipulation crossed academia, immigration, and finance. They scammed anyone the...
Mark as Played

Episode 1: American Hustlers

January 27, 2025 • 39 mins
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 - including Kaushal Niroula, t...
Mark as Played

Episode 2: The Thomas White Affair

February 3, 2025 • 45 mins
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 could Danny Garcia, an alleged v...
Mark as Played

Episode 3: The Dark Prince

February 10, 2025 • 42 mins
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 man of wealth. But an interv...
Mark as Played

Episode 4: Aloha Keiko

February 17, 2025 • 43 mins
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 competent. And yet, before long, Ka...
Mark as Played

Episode 5: Priceless Paintings and Family Jewels

February 24, 2025 • 48 mins
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 seat to Kaushal and Danny’s n...
Mark as Played

Episode 6: Cliff Lambert

March 3, 2025 • 42 mins
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 invites Danny to Palm Springs for...
Mark as Played

Episode 7: Unraveling the Murder

March 10, 2025 • 42 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played

Episode 8: Rincon Hill

March 17, 2025 • 41 mins
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 condos in the Bay Area. To do...
Mark as Played

Episode 9: Stealing Property

March 24, 2025 • 36 mins
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 sell Cliff’s house. But somethi...
Mark as Played

Episode 10: The Noose

March 31, 2025 • 50 mins
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 anyway. It’s not easy, but event...
Mark as Played

Episode 11: The End is Just The Beginning

April 7, 2025 • 43 mins
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 they’ve been after for year...
Mark as Played

Episode 12: The Body in the Desert

April 14, 2025 • 59 mins
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, when Kim visits Craig McCa...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Betrayal Season 5

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Wearables

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.