TX Woman Unrepentant; Gets Jail For Racist Attack On 4 Indian Americans

India-West News Desk

PLANO, TX – Esmeralda Upton on June 14 pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and one count of making terrorist threats after her unprovoked, racist attack on four Indian American women.

The hate crime, recorded on a smartphone video, occurred in a parking lot near the Sixty Vines restaurant here, on August 24, 2022.

While the four Indian American friends were walking through the parking lot and chatting after their meal, Upton — a total stranger to them — confronted them, and screamed, “I hate you f***g Indians.”

Upton admitted that during the encounter, she assaulted at least three of the women, including Anamika Chatterjee, and threatened to shoot them. After the hateful encounter, Chatterjee retained the Chandra Law Firm.

The videos show TX Woman houting at Chatterjee and her companions. “I hate you fucking Indians,” she screamed, “We don’t want you here!” She called the friends “curry-ass bitches.” When Chatterjee and the other women asked Upton to leave them alone, Upton yelled, “Go back to India!” and “If things are so great in your country, then stay there!” Chatterjee and her three friends are all American citizens.

Following Upton’s guilty plea but before her sentencing, Chatterjee said, “The nightmare of August 24, 2022 will forever haunt me and my family. To be attacked for my race and appearance is very hard to get past. I have now lived in the United States for 25 years. This is where my children were born.”

Addressing Upton, she said, “your hate-driven actions have affected me deeply. My American-born children look like Indians. Because of your hatred and attack, I am now constantly scared for them. That’s the worst effect of what you did to me—that constant worry and anxiety.”

The court sentenced Upton to 40 days of incarceration at the Collin County jail, allowing her to serve on weekends, starting July 19. He warned her that if she fails to appear or shows up late even once, she will serve all of the time consecutively.

The sentence was part of a plea deal struck between the Collin County District Attorney’s office and Upton’s counsel. As part of that deal, Upton also surrendered her concealed handgun license and will not be allowed to own a firearm for two years.

TX Woman apologized to neither the court nor the victims of her racist crimes.

Chatterjee’s lead counsel, Subodh Chandra, said, “Upton’s failure to apologize today or express the slightest contrition shows that she’s not sorry in the least. Still, today’s guilty pleas and sentence to imprisonment of Esmeralda Upton are a step toward holding her accountable, not only as just punishment for her hate crimes, but so others are deterred from engaging in this type of reprehensible behavior.”