Jagninder Singh Boparai, a 48-year-old resident of Manteca, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in a murder-for-hire plot. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that Boparai collaborated with Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 45, from Dublin, and Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 51, from Tracy, in a plan to murder an individual referred to as Victim 2. In February 2023, Boparai met with someone he believed to be a hitman at a Starbucks in Manteca. Unbeknownst to him and his co-conspirators, the supposed hitman was actually an FBI informant.
Boparai initially proposed the assault of another person known as Victim 1 for $6,000. He provided $1,000 as a down payment after seeing staged photos indicating the assault had occurred. Subsequently, he discussed additional plans involving robbery and making someone "disappear."
In March 2023, Boparai offered $10,000 for the murder of Victim 2. Sandhu provided Victim 2's address while Boparai instructed that no evidence should remain. A Facebook profile picture of Victim 2 was also shown to the informant.
On March 24th of the same year, Sandhu and Birla met with the informant in Manteca while claiming Boparai was out of town; however, surveillance showed otherwise. They instructed that Victim 2's remains be taken to Mexico.
The arrests took place on March 31st. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI and various local police departments across California.
Boparai is set for sentencing on May 8th by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta and could face up to ten years in prison along with a $250,000 fine depending on court discretion based on federal guidelines.
Birla and Sandhu are scheduled for further proceedings on April 10th and face similar charges if convicted but remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.