Avin Seetaram and Somjeet Christopher Singh
Introduction
Avin Seetaram, known as “Smalls,” a 27-year-old from Margate, Florida, has been convicted by a federal jury in Miami of participating in a murder-for-hire scheme that ended in the November 2023 death of Suren Seetal. His co-conspirator, Somjeet Christopher Singh, known as “Lil Chris,” 32, of Coral Springs, previously pleaded guilty to the same plot and has already been sentenced to life in federal prison. Per the Justice Department’s announcement, the two men conspired to have Seetal killed over business dealings, first trying and failing in July 2023 before arranging his ambush and murder that November.
Background Information
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Seetaram and Singh targeted Seetal because of business dealings between them. The conspirators tracked Seetal’s whereabouts through an electronic device placed inside the vehicle he was using. In July 2023 they dispatched a gunman and a driver to kill him; the gunman opened fire, Seetal returned fire, no one was struck, and the two fled. After that attempt failed, the pair arranged a second plot rather than abandoning the plan.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted; co-defendant sentenced to life. A federal jury convicted Seetaram on all counts in the murder-for-hire plot, while Singh pleaded guilty earlier and is serving life. The account below comes from the Justice Department’s announcement of the verdict.
On November 2, 2023, the conspirators lured Seetal to a business location, where a newly hired gunman was waiting. The gunman ambushed Seetal and shot him to death. Seetaram and Singh then paid the gunman as promised and coordinated efforts to conceal the crime, including transporting and disposing of Seetal’s body in the Everglades.
The jury convicted Seetaram of murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire, stalking resulting in death, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during a crime of violence, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the conspiracy-to-use-and-carry count and up to life in prison on the remaining counts, with any sentence to be determined by the court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Singh previously pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping, stalking resulting in death, the firearm conspiracy, causing death through use of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman sentenced Singh to concurrent terms of life in federal prison on six counts, 140 months on the firearm conspiracy count, and 120 months on the obstruction count.
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida framed the verdict in stark terms. “This was not a spontaneous act of violence. It was a deliberate, persistent, and cold-blooded murder-for-hire scheme,” he said. “The defendants tracked Suren Seetal, sent armed men to kill him, tried again after the first attempt failed, and ultimately had him ambushed and murdered. They then paid the gunman and helped dispose of Seetal’s body in the Everglades. One conspirator is already serving life in federal prison, and a jury has now convicted Seetaram for his role in this brutal crime.”
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Michael Gilfarb prosecuted the case.
Current Status
Seetaram awaits sentencing following his jury conviction, with a sentencing range that runs from 20 years up to life in federal prison depending on the count. Singh has been sentenced by Judge Altman to life plus consecutive terms totaling more than 21 additional years on the firearm and obstruction counts. The announcement reports no further pending defendants in the Justice Department’s account of the scheme. Related court documents are docketed under case number 23-cr-20483 in the Southern District of Florida.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Seetaram, 27, faces the prospect of spending most or all of his adult life in federal prison, with his conviction on six counts including the causing-death count that carries a potential life term. Singh, 32, is already serving concurrent life sentences on six counts. The completed record — a tracked victim, a failed first attempt, a successful ambush, a paid gunman, and a body hidden in the Everglades — now stands as the documented account of both men’s conduct, with the scheme’s business-dealings motive noted in court records as the reason Seetal was killed.