What's the scoop on missing Breckenridge attorney "Scoop"

Cops can’t find lawyer who they say took $1 million from clients

Ashley Dickson
Summit County Correspondent
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
March 25, 2008

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BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado — It’s been almost a year since local attorney Royal “Scoop” Daniel III went missing, and Breckenridge police say there are still no solid leads regarding his whereabouts.

Daniel was last seen on April 27, and shortly after his disappearance investigators discovered that he had defrauded his clients of up to $1 million through property transfers.

“We have an active felony arrest warrant out on him so if he is stopped at any airport or border that warrant will show up,” said Breckenridge Assistant Police Chief Greg Morrison.

Since the criminal investigation began, Breckenridge police have executed 29 different search warrants at Daniel’s law firm and apartment. They also investigated his bank accounts, credit cards, and cell phone. The most recent search warrant was issued on Feb. 14.

“We are still actively working the case and have been in constant contact with the District Attorney’s Office,” Morrison said. “We’re still not even sure he is alive, but because of the criminal nature of the incident there is the probability that he fled the country.”

Friends of Daniel suspect that he may have fled to Brazil, where he once had clients and traveled to often. Daniel is also fluent in Portuguese, which could make it very easy for him to live in Brazil.

According to Morrison, there are hundreds of thousand wanted American living in Brazil because the country has no extradition treaty with the U.S., meaning law enforcement agents do not have the authority to retrieve wanted persons who flee there.

“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,” said Morrison. “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.”

The day of his disappearance, a 911 call was placed from Daniel’s cell phone but when the dispatcher answered, there was no one on the line and the call lasted for only 9 seconds.

Daniel was a well-known figure in Breckenridge and many locals described him as a very generous church-going individual. He had been a member of Father Dyer United Methodist Church and did pro-bono work for West African immigrants in the community applying for green cards.

“We have been using time on our side to slowly and methodically work on this case,” said Morrison. “But we still just don’t know what happened to him.”