Staten Island Man Sentenced for Role in Iran-Sponsored Assassination Plot

On May 28, 2026, Jonathan Loadholt, a 37-year-old man from Staten Island, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a plot orchestrated by the Iranian government to assassinate journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad on U.S. soil. Loadholt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to federal prosecutors, Loadholt and his co-defendant, Carlisle Rivera, were recruited by an asset of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out the assassination. The IRGC directed Farhad Shakeri, who remains at large, to manage the operation and offered Rivera $100,000 for the execution of the hit. Loadholt and Rivera tracked Alinejad for months, using funds from Iran to purchase a firearm and burner phones. The plot was disrupted by law enforcement, leading to Loadholt's arrest on November 7, 2024, when authorities found ammunition at his residence. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that the Iranian government attempted to silence Alinejad due to her criticism of the regime. Loadholt is the second individual sentenced in this conspiracy; Rivera was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January 2026 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.