The Dark Prince

He claimed to be Nepalese royalty, but police say Kaushal Niroula is a con man whose crew of gay grifters may have murdered a wealthy Palm Springs man.

Comments (0) By Matt Smith Wednesday, Apr 1 2009

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When the notary stepped onto the sidewalk, a man "who looked like he was homeless" grabbed his backpack and dragged him a full block before letting go and fleeing. The notary now believes the mugger might have been hired by the two men in the car. "They wanted that book," he said.

The fingerprint, along with Bustamante's confession and Evans' tip, allowed police to compile a case that now forms the basis for capital murder charges against Niroula and his alleged team.

Brett Affrunti

Niroula got a U.S. student visa and free tuition by persuading a college president he was a wealthy Nepalese royal poised to donate $1 million.

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Garcia's attorney, Mario Rodriguez, acknowledges that his client and Lambert were sometime lovers. But he says Garcia has distanced himself from Niroula in this case. Garcia did not introduce Niroula to Lambert, and he insists he had no involvement in Lambert's disappearance or the theft of the older man's property. "It's probably no secret, but there's a certain scene here in Palm Springs," Rodriguez explains. "This case has sexual, alternative-lifestyle overtones, and, uh, that's how they met, given the social scene in Palm Springs. Actually, they met in Hollywood at a social function there a number of years ago, and they became friends after that."

Rodriguez offers this bit of information by way of explaining why police had reported that, following Lambert's disappearance, Garcia used Lambert's bank card to make 21 withdrawals and purchases totaling more than $13,000, and why Bustamante had fingered Garcia as among the group allegedly involved in Lambert's disappearance.

After their Hollywood hookup, Lambert opened his heart and bank account to Garcia, Rodriguez said: "They were very good friends, and Mr. Lambert was a generous person. And he liked to shower his friends with gifts."

Garcia's history of allegations that he stole money by using other people's bank cards challenges the plausibility of his claim that Lambert supposedly approved the multiple withdrawals. How, or whether, the Nepalese purported con man pulled off this latest gambit, and how much help he got from his sometime boyfriend, will become clearer when the five men are put on trial.

Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco, a former death penalty prosecutor, has charged all five suspects with murder committed in conjunction with other crimes, meaning that if convicted they may receive life in prison, or the death penalty. "These con men have skillfully manipulated their way through millions of illegally obtained dollars and have managed to avoid the consequences until now," he says. "Unfortunately, Cliff Lambert isn't the first victim of their ongoing scams to enrich themselves, but we plan on making sure he is the last."

According to Browning, once Niroula and Replogle were arrested, the Nepalese Prince seemed determined to attempt his magic one more time. "They were both very arrogant in San Francisco," the detective recalls. "Right off the bat, during the first few minutes of the interview, they said they want to speak directly to the district attorney to make a deal. But there are no deals being made."

E-mail the writer to discuss the story: Matt.Smith@SFWeekly.com.

"He's evil," attorney Stephen Shaw says of Niroula. "And if people don't treat it like this, he's going to continue doing what he's doing."

"Like the lead character in the movie Catch Me If You Can, Niroula was capable of spinning a compelling yarn that made extraordinary claims seem like they just could be possible."

"These con men have skillfully manipulated their way through millions of illegally obtained dollars and have managed to avoid the consequences until now." — Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco