By: Richard L. Smith
A former New Jersey resident and dual U.S.-India citizen has been indicted for allegedly issuing violent threats to several public officials and a private citizen across the state, federal authorities announced.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, 58-year-old Abhinaba Barthakur, previously of Hillsborough Township, faces a six-count indictment that includes five counts of transmitting threats through interstate or foreign communications and one count of threatening a federal judge in retaliation for their official duties.
Federal prosecutors allege Barthakur, who left the United States in December 2018 and has not returned since, issued a series of alarming voicemail threats between 2020 and 2024.
Targets of those threats included two New Jersey Superior Court judges, a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey, a Somerset County elected official, and a private resident of the same county.
In one of the most recent incidents, on November 26, 2024, Barthakur allegedly called a federal judge’s chambers and threatened to assault and kill the judge using a .22 caliber handgun, with the intent to retaliate against the judge’s official actions.
The indictment also alleges that Barthakur threatened to mutilate and kill others, including threatening to remove the fingers of a state official and two state judges in 2020.
In another incident, he is accused of threatening a private Somerset County resident with death during a call in October 2023.
“These threats represent a direct attack on the justice system and those who serve the public,” U.S. Attorney Alina Habba stated.
“We will act swiftly against anyone who seeks to intimidate or harm officials upholding the rule of law.”
If convicted, Barthakur faces up to five years in prison for each charge related to transmitting threats, and up to ten years for the charge involving retaliation against a federal judge.
Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine.