Jonathan Loadholt, a 37-year-old man from Staten Island, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on May 27, 2026, for his involvement in a conspiracy to murder journalist Masih Alinejad, a critic of the Iranian government. Loadholt pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of conspiracy to commit stalking and money laundering, as stated by the Justice Department.
Alinejad, who has been an outspoken opponent of Iran's compulsory hijab laws, has faced multiple threats, including a kidnapping attempt in 2021. Loadholt was recruited by an associate linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and worked with another individual, Carlisle Rivera, to surveil Alinejad outside her home in Brooklyn in 2024.
Prosecutors reported that Loadholt accepted cash payments and used encrypted communications to facilitate the surveillance intended for Alinejad's killing. Rivera, who was also involved in the plot, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Loadholt was arrested on November 7, 2024, before the plot could be executed, and law enforcement recovered ammunition from his residence. The individual who allegedly orchestrated the plot, Farhad Shakeri, remains at large.