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Tracy Man Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Plot
A Tracy man has pleaded guilty to his role in a murder-for-hire plot, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.
Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 51, of Tracy, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire.
According to court documents, Sandhu conspired with Jagninder Singh Boparai, 49, of Manteca, and Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 47, of Dublin, to murder Victim 2.
The plot unfolded in February 2023, when the three men repeatedly met with a person they believed to be a hitman at a Starbucks in Manteca. Unbeknownst to them, the hitman was a confidential informant working for the FBI.
On Feb. 17, 2024, Boparai told the supposed hitman that the first job involved the assault of Victim 1, and once he proved his trustworthiness, he would be given another job. The following day, Boparai met the confidential informant again and offered to pay $6,000 for the assault of Victim 1.
On March 24, 2023, Sandhu and Birla met with the confidential informant in a parking lot in Manteca. Sandhu and Birla instructed the confidential informant to kill Victim 2 and take Victim 2’s remains to Mexico in a suitcase.
All three defendants were arrested on March 31, 2023, and are currently in federal custody.
Sandhu faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta.
Boparai pleaded guilty for his role in the offense on Jan. 23, 2025, and is pending sentencing on Aug. 7, 2025. He faces the same penalties as Sandhu.
Birla is scheduled for a further status conference on Oct. 23, 2025.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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