A notorious con artist, once a fugitive in Mexico, has been slapped with a four-year prison term for duping investors, including the elderly, in two separate high-stake swindles that racked up millions in ill-gotten gains. Daniel Thomas Broyles Sr., 66, who also went by Dan Thomas, faced the music in court after being hauled back to the U.S. to answer for his crimes.
Broyles, a Malibu native, conspired to peddle a bogus investment in a company called Niyato Industries Inc., hoodwinking investors with the false promise that it was a cutting-edge electric car maker. The scam unraveled as nothing more than a sham, a hollow shell company with zero operational muscle. To evade the heat from federal agents sniffing around the scam, Broyles bolted to Mexico in 2016, taking on a fresh alias to remain in the shadows, according to details from a press release by the Department of Justice.
The charade didn't end there; Broyles doubled down on deceit with a second scam involving EarthWater Limited, where he and cohorts, including CEO Cengiz Jan Comu, 63, of Dallas, lured investors with lies about using their dollars to fuel the company's operations. In a rather stark contrast to their narrative, they channelled most of the funds into lining their own pockets. The extradition of Broyles from Mexico and his subsequent trial was a collaborative international effort, bringing a necessary closure to his web of lies.
In addition to Broyles' sentencing, the justice hammer came down hard on other accomplices as well. Seven defendants have been previously convicted in the Niyato scam, including CEO Robert Leslie Stencil, who is currently serving a 12-year sentence. In relation to the EarthWater fraud, eleven other defendants pled guilty, with CEO Comu getting a 10-year stint behind bars. These convictions were part of an arduous judiciary process, with the Department of Justice and U.S. Postal Inspection Service's vital investigation efforts detailed in the press release.
The manhunt and prosecution of Broyles was an interagency and cross-border pursuit, with Mexican officials playing a critical role in his extradition. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs also pitched in to secure his arrest. Back on American soil, the U.S. Marshals Service saw through Broyles' transportation from Mexico. The cases were spearheaded by Trial Attorney Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, aided by colleagues Theodore Kneller and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters for the EarthWater case.
