After nearly two decades of trials, appeals, and controversy, justice has finally been served in the Cliff Lambert murder, one of California’s most sensational and bizarre criminal cases. The retired Palm Springs art dealer — described by friends as a “rich, gay socialite” — was brutally killed in 2008 in an elaborate scheme masterminded by two con artists posing as high-society figures.
An Elaborate Plot Unfolds in Palm Springs
According to prosecutors, Kaushal Niroula — a self-proclaimed exiled prince from Nepal — and Daniel Garcia, a San Francisco socialite with a checkered past, conspired with four accomplices to steal Lambert’s wealth, identity, and ultimately, his life.
Lambert, 74, was killed on December 5, 2008, during what he believed was a business meeting with a lawyer representing a deceased art collector. In reality, the meeting was a setup. “The man posing as a lawyer was actually Niroula,” said former Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Rob Hightower, who prosecuted the case.
