Lawyer Suspected of Client Fraud Missing for Nearly a Year
Updated A Colorado lawyer suspected of stealing as much as $1 million from clients has been missing for almost a year.
Royal “Scoop” Daniel III of Breckenridge disappeared on April 27 last year, the Vail Daily reports. That day someone placed a 911 call from Daniel’s cell phone, but no one was on the line when a police dispatcher answered.
Police suspect Daniel defrauded his clients of about $1 million through fraudulent transfers of his clients’ property, the story says. Investigators believe Daniel may have fled the country with the cash.
“We are operating under a number of theories, and the idea that he ran with the proceeds from his criminal act is not far-fetched,” Breckenridge Assistant Police Chief Greg Morrison told the publication. “He was operating under a house of cards moving all this money around, and he must of seen that the house of cards was about to crumble.”
Acquaintances said Daniel attended church and did pro bono work for immigrants applying for green cards. He is fluent in Portuguese, leading to speculation he is in Brazil. A felony warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Updated Dec. 8, 2011 to remove extraneous information.
