Washington, Feb 14 Nikhil Gupta stood in a Manhattan federal courtroom and admitted that he agreed in 2023 to pay $15,000 to have a Sikh separatist leader in New York murdered — a plea that now exposes him to a potential 40 years in a U.S. federal prison.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York, the 54-year-old Indian national pleaded guilty to three charges: Conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“In the spring of 2023, I agreed with another person to have another individual to murder a person in the United States,” Gupta said under oath. He further admitted that he “had delivered $15,000 in cash via cellular phone to another individual in the United States”.
During questioning, Gupta confirmed that he knew the intended victim was in New York — “In Queens especially,” he told the court — and that the person who received payment was in Manhattan.
Judge Netburn recommended that District Judge Victor Marrero accept the plea, and the district court subsequently issued an order accepting it. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 29, 2026.
Under federal law, Gupta faces statutory maximum penalties of 10 years each for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and for murder-for-hire, and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering — a combined maximum exposure of 40 years. However, federal sentencing does not automatically default to statutory maximums. Instead, courts rely on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines to determine a recommended range before considering broader statutory factors.
In a Pimentel letter submitted before the plea, prosecutors calculated Gupta’s advisory Guidelines range at 235 to 293 months, or approximately 19½ to 24½ years in prison. That calculation was based on the offense level applicable to solicitation of murder, enhanced because money was offered in exchange for the killing.
Prosecutors also added a two-level obstruction enhancement tied to what they described as materially false statements in a prior sworn declaration, while noting that Gupta could receive credit for acceptance of responsibility.
The court made clear during the plea hearing that these Guidelines calculations are advisory and that the final sentence will be determined by Judge Marrero after reviewing a Presentence Investigation Report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Under federal law, the sentencing judge must weigh factors including the seriousness of the offense, deterrence, protection of the public, and the need to avoid unwarranted disparities.
Prosecutors stated that had the case gone to trial, they would have presented testimony from a confidential source who was solicited to arrange the killing, testimony from an undercover officer posing as a hitman, recorded WhatsApp messages and calls, cellphone evidence, and video of the $15,000 payment made in New York.
The indictment alleged that Gupta worked with others, including a co-defendant identified as an employee of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to orchestrate the assassination of a New York-based Sikh political activist advocating for Khalistan.
Gupta confirmed in court that he is a citizen of India and acknowledged that his guilty plea will likely result in removal from the United States. The government’s sentencing letter notes that removal is presumptively mandatory under federal immigration law.
Sentencing on May 29 will determine that outcome.
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