Jagninder Singh Boparai, a 49-year-old resident of Manteca, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his involvement in a murder-for-hire conspiracy. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
“This defendant met on five separate occasions with a person he thought to be a hitman and provided payments for the services he desired in order to ‘teach a lesson’ to two of his enemies,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “Fortunately, there was no hitman, and today’s sentence teaches a lesson that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will use all its tools to bring to justice those who endanger the safety of the public.”
Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office stated, “The FBI has a zero tolerance for violent crimes and will take action to prevent assaults and homicides from happening. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their support and collaboration that ensured both the safety of the victims and a successful outcome to a critical investigation.”
Court documents reveal that Boparai conspired with Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 47, of Dublin, and Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 51, of Tracy, targeting individuals with whom they had disputes. In February 2023, Boparai met at a Starbucks in Manteca with someone he believed was a hitman; this individual was actually an FBI confidential informant.
Boparai initially discussed hiring the supposed hitman for an assault job involving another man involved in their feud. He offered $6,000 for this task during subsequent meetings and paid $1,000 as an initial payment while accompanied by Birla and another individual. The informant later presented Boparai with staged photos showing what appeared to be evidence of an assault.
After reviewing these photos favorably, Boparai mentioned two additional jobs: robbing a business and making another person “disappear.” In March 2023, he paid $10,000 as part payment for this murder-for-hire scheme after Sandhu provided details about the intended victim’s location.
On March 24, 2023, Sandhu and Birla met again with the confidential informant in Manteca’s parking lot while Boparai waited nearby in his car under surveillance. They instructed that after killing the victim, his remains should be transported out of state.
All three men were arrested on March 31, 2023; they remain in federal custody.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), several local police departments across San Joaquin County—including Ceres Police Department—and others such as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as well as district attorney offices from Stanislaus County.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian T. Kinsella and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting this case.
Sandhu pleaded guilty on July 31, 2025; sentencing is set for November 13 before Judge Calabretta where he faces up to ten years imprisonment plus possible fines up to $250,000—the final decision will consider statutory factors along with Federal Sentencing Guidelines which weigh various elements before determining punishment.
Birla still faces charges related to this case; his status conference is scheduled for October 23rd later this year—he remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
