It was a proposition he should have thought better of.
Nassau County Prosecutors claim that a construction company owner from Long Island attempted to hire someone to murder a business competitor.
Navdeep Singh, 48, allegedly sought to eliminate his adversary amidst a fierce ongoing legal dispute, offering $100,000 along with 10 acres of land in India to the hitman. Instead, he now faces charges of felony conspiracy and criminal solicitation.
“The allegations against Navdeep Singh are extremely unsettling,” noted Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly during a press conference on Monday.
“It’s reported that the defendant decided to conspire to kill a rival because of a multi-million dollar lawsuit pending between two competing construction companies and a former business associate,” Donnelly explained.
According to prosecutors, Singh, who owns Gravity Construction Corp., had a previous business relationship with the intended target that deteriorated two years ago.
Currently, they are embroiled in a contentious civil lawsuit.
“It’s shocking how far this defendant was willing to go,” she added.
Things reportedly escalated after Singh’s company began undertaking construction projects previously handled by his rivals.
Allegations state that Singh contacted the hitman on May 29, expressing a desire to lure, torture, and kill his rival. In this arrangement, he requested proof of the act, specifically photos showing the victim’s head and torso.
He is alleged to have provided a $7,000 retainer, part of a $100,000 total fee for the contract, which included the promised land in India after the job was done.
Singh even scouted the victim’s residence to assist the hitman in executing the plan.
Prosecutors indicated that the hitman initially accepted the task but quickly backed out and contacted law enforcement to disclose the scheme. Singh was arrested soon after, spanning Saturday and Sunday.
He has been held with bail set at $1 million or a bond up to $5 million, as reported by prosecutors.
“This was an incredibly dangerous situation,” stated Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder during the press briefing.
“Thanks to District Attorney Anne Donnelly and her diligent prosecutors, we were able to prevent what could have been a tragedy. We transformed a business dispute into a serious criminal matter.”
