From: MassLive
By Conor Berry
SPRINGFIELD — A Connecticut man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Springfield on Monday to conspiring with others to avoid paying excise taxes on tobacco products sold from facilities in Springfield and Connecticut, according to federal prosecutors.
Jugjeev Kharbanda, 29, of Seymour, who admitted to conspiracy and trafficking in contraband smokeless tobacco, is scheduled to be sentenced June 25. He and two other defendants were charged with federal crimes in October 2014.
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Authorities say the scheme was part of a larger interstate cigar and tobacco smuggling ring that robbed the government of $43 million in excise taxes. Jaspal Singh, one of the co-defendants in the case, pleaded guilty to charges in October and is scheduled to be sentenced April 21.
