From the U.S. Attorney:
FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS MAN OF SENDING THREATENING LETTER TO SPIRITUAL MISSION IN SUBURBAN CHICAGO
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a Georgia man of sending a threatening letter to a spiritual mission in suburban Chicago.
In July 2023, JIMIL PARMAR mailed a letter to the Sant Nirankari Mission in West Chicago, Ill.
The letter stated, “CANCEL US CANADA TOUR IMMEDIATELY SRS ATTACK PLANNED.”
The threat coincided with the visit of the Mission’s spiritual leader, Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, who was touring the United States and Canada that summer, including scheduled appearances in Chicago and Atlanta, Ga.
At least four other Sant Nirankari Missions in the United States received identical letters that summer, and all of them were postmarked from the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Parmar, 33, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was found guilty on Wednesday of mailing a threatening communication.
The jury returned its verdict after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The conviction is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for March 4, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.
The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Atlanta Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha J. Babu and Ramon Villalpando.
