Overview
- U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero formally accepted the plea on Feb. 17 after Gupta’s allocution before Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
- Gupta admitted he agreed in spring 2023 to have a person in the United States killed and said he delivered $15,000 in cash, acknowledging the intended victim was in Queens.
- He pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with a combined statutory maximum of 40 years.
- The DOJ and FBI state the thwarted plot targeted U.S. citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and was coordinated at the direction of an Indian government employee.
- The indictment also names former R&AW officer Vikash (Vikas) Yadav as a co-accused, and prosecutors cite advisory guidelines of 235–293 months with presumptive removal from the U.S. after conviction.