|
|
by IANS |
Washington, May 7 (IANS) Nikhil Gupta, who pleaded guilty in a murder-for-hire conspiracy case in the United States earlier this year, has agreed to forfeit $15,000 in cash and two mobile phones to the US government under a consent preliminary order filed in a federal court in New York.
The order, signed by US District Judge Victor Marrero on April 23, said Gupta consented to a money judgment of $15,000 “representing the amount of proceeds traceable to the offences charged” in the indictment.
Gupta was charged in a three-count superseding indictment in October 2024. The charges included murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the filing, Gupta pleaded guilty on February 13, 2026, to all three counts in the indictment.
The forfeiture order listed specific assets surrendered by Gupta. These included $15,000 in US currency seized “in the vicinity of East 27th Street and 11th Avenue, in New York” on or about June 9, 2023.
The order also covered an iPhone 11 Pro Max and a Vivo Y56 5G cellphone. Both devices were seized by Czech law enforcement authorities in the Czech Republic on or about June 30, 2023, before being transferred to US custody.
Federal prosecutors said the forfeiture was tied to proceeds and property involved in the offences charged in Counts One through Three of the indictment. The filing added that Gupta was “jointly and severally liable” with co-defendant Vikash Yadav for the money judgment, to the extent a forfeiture money judgment is entered against the co-defendant.
The document stated that the United States Marshals Service was authorised to take possession of the forfeited property and deposit payments into the Assets Forfeiture Fund.
The court also directed the government to publish forfeiture notices for at least 30 consecutive days on the federal forfeiture website and notify any potential third-party claimants.
The filing further noted that any forfeited property would be applied toward the satisfaction of the money judgment against Gupta. Prosecutors were also authorised to seek forfeiture of substitute assets up to the uncollected amount of the judgment if necessary.
The consent order was signed by Assistant US Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Alexander Li and Ashley C. Nicolas on behalf of the government. Gupta and his defence lawyers also signed the agreement before it was approved by the court.
The case has drawn attention in both Washington and New Delhi because it involved allegations linked to an alleged plot targeting a Sikh separatist figure in the United States. US authorities had earlier accused Gupta of working with others in connection with the planned killing.
Latest News