Aspen Businessman Arrested On Vegas Warrant At Nantucket Home Has Case Dismissed
David Creed •
Dan Burrell, the Aspen businessman/investor who was arrested by Nantucket Police in September of 2024 at his former island residence on a warrant out of Nevada, had the charges dismissed earlier this month in Las Vegas Justice Court. The warrant stemmed from charges that alleged he owed approximately $1.5 million in casino markers to a Las Vegas Casino.
Burrell has also been the subject of national coverage after he allegedly defaulted on over $75 million in bank loans in recent years – prompting foreclosures on several of his prestigious properties across the country. One of those properties was 3 Brewster Road on Nantucket, which sold at a September foreclosure auction for $12.5 million.
After being picked up on the Vegas warrant on September 20th, 2024, Burrell was arraigned in Nantucket District Court on a fugitive from justice charge that same day. He had his bail set at $10,000 and posted it the following day after spending a night in jail. About three weeks later on October 7th, 2024, Burrell had the charge dismissed by Nantucket District Court judge James Sullivan after deliberations with Las Vegas Justice Court began.
According to Las Vegas court documents, the Vegas warrant was issued as Burrell faced Feb. 12th, 2023 felony charges of drawing or passing a check with the intent to defraud (value of $1,200 or greater), obtaining money, property, rent, or labor by false pretense (value of $100,000 or more), and theft (value of $100,000 or greater). Burrell had the arrest warrant issued on May 22nd, 2024 – approximately six days after the criminal complaint was filed with the Las Vegas Justice Court. Burrell was arrested by Nantucket Police about four months after it was issued.
On March 3rd, all of the charges were dismissed by the state following a judgment entered by the court for the amount of money Burrell will be required to pay the casino.
Burrell reached out to the Current in late February requesting to speak about the charges he faced on the island, which he says is a place he has cherished since he was one year old. He said he was ready to tell his side of the story.
Burrell said he has never written a bad check in his life but admitted to having debts he needed to settle.
“The law was not meant to apply to a person, in this case, me, trying to resolve such debt privately through constructive and active negotiation,” Burrell said. “In recognition of this, the (district attorney) removed any potential criminal or civil charges and dismissed those entirely on March 3rd. At no time did I ever understand that an ongoing settlement of a wager would involve the DA’s office or the 'bad check' division. I assumed, as anyone would with any loans or credits, that it would be a matter to be determined by the parties privately, which is now the case. Further, in no way was the casino in question claiming that I had written or physically given to them a 'bad bank check.' The debt owed just simply falls under the statute whether one likes it or not. Even with the DA considering such charges initially, the facts did not support this rendering of the situation, and as such any potential charges are now dismissed by the DA and the Court.”
Burrell claims that while he was arrested on the warrant out of Nevada, he was not intentionally evading the charges in court. He said he was not aware of the initial hearing date because the notice was sent to his Hunter Creek home in Aspen, Colorado, which had been foreclosed on a couple of weeks after the warrant in Nevada was issued.
“Given that I no longer owned the home at that point in time, I can only assume it was discarded,” Burrell told the Current. “Further, I had no legal representation at that time of the initial hearing date because I did not even know that such date existed and had been set by the court. So, I had not yet retained counsel and consequently, did not have a law firm or attorney on the ‘lookout,’ so to speak, in Nevada for upcoming appearance dates for Daniel Burrell. This is why it fell between the cracks.”
Burrell added that the idea that he was a fugitive of justice and harboring himself in secret on Nantucket to evade the criminal justice system and law enforcement is “not a plausible conclusion” based on the facts.
“Firstly, I was obligated to be on Nantucket the days prior and one and a half weeks after the arrest incident to sell my home and meet with a team of lawyers and accountants to do so – transfer title, the deed, settle accounts still open and finally to move out,” Burrell said. “Secondarily and more importantly, by going to a home that I spend the summer and other months every year at a property that I still owned at the time of the warrant being issued, was not an attempt to flee from justice or conceal my whereabouts. To the contrary, the auction date was very much public information to anyone who had access to print media or digital media. All of the 50 or so bidders that came to the property that day, as well as media, were given months of advance notice to show up and view it in person. So, an individual who had an interest in the matter certainly would have/should have known, by necessity, that I would be on Nantucket that day for the transfer of ownership to the ‘winning bidder.’”
This was not the first time Burrell has had a warrant issued for his arrest. According to Pitkin County Colorado Court records, Burrell was scheduled for a court hearing last year that was initiated by Equilibrium Multi Strategy Fund, which was seeking to recover $8.8 million from Burrell that was owed to them by two separate limited liability companies he controls. After failing to appear, a bench warrant was filed by Judge John Neiley on May 13, 2024.
Colorado court officials told the Current last year that Burrell had his warrant canceled in late July of 2024. Burrell also had a straight warrant issued by Sullivan in late July after failing to appear in Nantucket court for an arraignment session on a shoplifting charge but had the warrant canceled in early September after the charges were dismissed prior to arraignment after he reimbursed the alleged victim.
Burrell told the Current that the shoplifting accusation stemmed from a misunderstanding with a vendor he has shopped with for over 20 years on the island. He said he bought "hundreds of items" from the vendor that day and once he became aware that he had left without paying for some items, immediately provided them with a credit card to cover the costs - which led to the charge being dismissed prior to arraignment.
"I have great respect for the family that owns this establishment and the incredible service they provide to the community," Burrell said. "It was a shame that such an event made its way into the media. I certainly do not believe either party was interested in anything like that at all. So that is the extent of the background I can provide on this, but of course, being accused in print of shoplifting at a place I cherish and love is of course hurtful and embarrassing."
As for the defaulted bank loans, Burrell said he is working to resolve all of the matters. While several judgments have been made in court on an amount Burrell owes, it is unclear how much progress he has made on repaying the banks.
The Current reached out to First Western Trust – which sued Burrell for $56 million alone in November of 2023 to verify whether any progress has been made – but has not received a reply.
The following properties previously owned by Burrell have either been sold or foreclosed on.
1) Taos Valley Ranch, located in New Mexico, was sold for $17.5 million.
2) Three Meadows Ranch, located in Colorado, was sold for $26 million.
3) 1043 and 969 Willits, located in Basalt, Colorado, were sold for $11.3 million.
4) 3 Brewster Road, of Nantucket, was sold for $12.5 million.
5) 7 Brewster Road, of Nantucket, was sold for $3 million.
6) Indian River Ranch, located in Florida, was sold for $4 million
7) 768 Hunter Creek, located in Aspen, Colorado, was sold for $28 million.
Several media outlets including the Daily Mail, Denver Post, Aspen Daily News, and New York Post have covered these foreclosures and lawsuits extensively. Aside from First Western Trust Bank, other banks including Bank of America, Alpine Bank, Equilibrium Multi Strategy Fund, and Century Bank have also filed lawsuits against Burrell for defaulted loans in recent years.
“This transfer or sale of assets has resulted in $102.3 million of forced dispositions of my real property,” Burrell said. “In other words, whether through auctions or direct sales, each of these properties has gone through a change of ownership and control. Currently, I no longer have any undisposed real estate remaining in my portfolio.”
As for the $26,234.69 mechanic's lien placed on Burrell’s 3 Brewster Road property on July 17th by Max Perkins, the owner of Grey Lady Property Management, for services performed on the property that had allegedly gone unpaid, Burrell said that he has paid Perkins back “in full.” Perkins told the Current the two sides struck a deal but declined to comment further.
Burrell, who previously owned a Zeelander yacht that was often spotted in Nantucket Harbor, is a friend of and served as senior advisor to former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry during his presidential campaign in 2004. He once described Kerry as "an incredible mentor." Burrell also served in former US President Bill Clinton's administration as a member of its Domestic Policy Council from 2000-2001.
Burrell also founded The Burrell Group, LLC which according to the company’s LinkedIn page, is “a portfolio of individual privately held companies that focuses on medication education, behavioral sciences, financial services, commercial and residential real estate, construction, aviation, food service programs in partnership with public and private universities, security and life safety systems, as well as medical technology and natural resources.”
Burrell was formerly the CEO of Rosemont Realty from 2009-2013, a Santa Fe-based commercial real estate firm that oversaw 173 office buildings in 25 states. Burrell raised $575 million to expand the firm in 2013 according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. The firm had ties to President Joe Biden’s first son Hunter Biden, who served on Rosemont's advisory board - and in an October 2022 article in the New York Post.
Burrell also founded several for-profit osteopathic medical schools including locations at Idaho College, as well as in New Mexico and Florida.