A convicted killer received a 15-year federal sentence for taking part in an Iran-directed plot to murder journalist Masih Alinejad, a scheme tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and coordinated through an associate living in Iran.
Carlisle Rivera, known as “Pop,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit stalking before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in the Southern District of New York. He also faces three years of supervised release after completing the federal term. The conviction caps a plot prosecutors say was driven by high-ranking elements of the Iranian regime.
The government says Farhad Shakeri, an IRGC asset living in Iran, directed the murder-for-hire operation and offered Rivera $100,000 to find and kill Alinejad. Rivera recruited a friend, co-defendant Jonathon Loadholt, and used funds from Shakeri to buy a firearm and burner phones. The two men stalked the target, followed her to a speaking engagement and conducted surveillance on a Brooklyn residence thought to be hers.
The IRGC is described in court filings as a military and intelligence organization that directly reports to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is the Government of Iran’s primary instrument for providing financial and lethal aid to proxy terror groups in the Middle East. Prosecutors emphasized the IRGC’s history of plotting attacks beyond Iran’s borders, including targeting U.S. citizens. That pattern is why the case drew serious national security attention.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg underlined the stakes in a blunt statement: “Today’s sentence underscores the consequences of conspiring with a regime that relies on violence and intimidation to survive.” His words framed the prosecution as part of broader efforts to deter foreign-directed violence on U.S. soil. Law enforcement officials called the sentence a message that such conspiracies will meet strong federal response.
Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division stressed operational success: “The Iranian government repeatedly targeted a journalist and human rights activist living in New York, but thanks to the good work of the FBI and our partners those efforts failed.” He noted the arrest and investigative work that prevented the plot from being carried out. Rivera’s arrest occurred on Nov. 7, 2024, before he could complete the plan.
Evidence recovered at Rivera’s residence included a firearm with a partially obliterated serial number, according to court filings. Prosecutors detailed months of messages, voice notes, and photographs exchanged between Rivera, Loadholt, and Shakeri that tracked their progress. In one voice note, Rivera said Alinejad was “hard to catch, bro. And because she hard to catch, there ain’t gonna be no simple pull up, unless there[’s] the luck of the draw.” He later referenced the “slammer,” a term tied to the firearm acquired for the plot.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York did not mince words about who was responsible and why the target was chosen. “The Government of Iran, a sponsor of terrorism, assassination, and espionage around the globe, has engaged in a campaign of assassination plots in the United States and abroad targeting those who oppose the regime,” said Clayton. “The Government of Iran hired Rivera through an associate living in Iran to locate and murder Masih Alinejad in cold blood, right here in New York City. The Government of Iran has long sought to murder Ms. Alinejad, a U.S. citizen residing in New York City, because of her efforts to stand up to the Iranian regime and expose its discriminatory treatment of women, corruption, and human rights abuses. Today’s sentence should be a warning to anyone who would cast their lot with the brutal Iranian regime and seek to do their murderous bidding, especially on American soil: You will be stopped, you will be arrested, and you will be brought to justice.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. emphasized the domestic threat posed by foreign-directed plots: “The Iranian government enlisted a convicted killer to stalk and murder an American journalist and activist, Masih Alinejad, in an effort to forever silence her vocal criticism of its regime,” he said. “Carlisle Rivera served as a hired gun to facilitate the political assassination attempt ordered by an international adversary. May today’s lengthy sentence reflect the FBI’s unwavering stance against any domestic or foreign actor seeking to target our nation’s residents for nefarious agendas.”
Rivera’s criminal history includes a 1994 murder conviction that placed him in New York State prisons, where he reportedly shared custody with Shakeri years earlier during their sentences. Loadholt later pleaded guilty in January 2026 to conspiracy to commit stalking and conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces sentencing in April 2026. Shakeri remains at large overseas, and authorities continue to seek his capture.
Investigative credit in the case spans multiple agencies, reflecting the national security element prosecutors emphasized. The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force led the probe with assistance from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA’s New York Division, and the New York State Police. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York handled the case with NSD support on counterintelligence and counterterrorism matters.
The sentence sends a clear signal about consequences for working with hostile foreign actors to target people on American soil. It also highlights how transnational threats can be carried out through criminal networks, converted funds, and couriers across borders. For officials watching Iran’s overseas operations, the case reinforced a message of legal accountability and international scrutiny.
