{"id":2607594,"date":"2026-05-27T19:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-plotting-murder-of-iran-regime-critic\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T19:31:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:31:39","slug":"man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-plotting-murder-of-iran-regime-critic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-plotting-murder-of-iran-regime-critic\/","title":{"rendered":"Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for plotting murder of Iran regime critic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fman-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-plotting-murder-of-iran-regime-critic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2607594&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Staten Island man, Jonathan Loadholt, was sentenced to 10 years in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">federal prison<\/a> for participating in a conspiracy to stalk and arrange the killing of journalist and women\u2019s-rights activist Masih Alinejad. Prosecutors said the plot was connected to Iranian operatives and was directed by people tied to Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>Loadholt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-state-blues-2021-was-the-year-of-the-jury-trial\/\" title=\"Blue State Blues: 2021 Was the Year of the Jury Trial\">pleaded guilty earlier<\/a> this year for his role in surveilling Alinejad outside her Brooklyn home in 2024. He allegedly received cash payments, used encrypted communications, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >helped conduct surveillance<\/a> to enable the planned murder. Authorities said his co-defendant,Carlisle Rivera (\u201cPop\u201d),was hired to kill Alinejad after being recruited by an associate linked to Iran\u2019s Islamic revolutionary guard corps,and that Farhad Shakeri offered money for both men to locate and kill her. Investigators reported that the plans involved buying a firearm and burner phones and following Alinejad to a public speaking event at Fairfield University.<\/p>\n<p>Loadholt was arrested on Nov. 7, 2024, before the killing coudl be carried out, and authorities recovered ammunition from his home. Rivera received a 15-year sentence earlier this year, while Shakeri remains at large.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Staten Island man was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for participating in a plot to kill a journalist and prominent critic of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>\u2018s government in a case prosecutors say was directed by operatives tied to Tehran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jonathan Loadholt, 37, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit stalking and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/money-laundering\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4188\">money laundering<\/a> for his role surveilling the target, identified as a journalist and activist critical of the Iranian regime, Masih Alinejad, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Justice Department<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4583375\/two-anti-ice-protesters-arrested-assaulting-officers-delaney-hall-newark\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Two anti-ICE protesters charged with assaulting officers at Delaney Hall facility in Newark<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4583230\/minneapolis-police-chief-resigns-concerns-tampered-sexual-misconduct-probe\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Minneapolis police chief resigns amid concerns he tampered with sexual misconduct probe<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4582582\/mexico-arrest-isai-nephew-el-chapo\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mexico arrests nephew of cartel kingpin \u2018El Chapo\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alinejad, an outspoken opponent of Iran\u2019s compulsory hijab laws and treatment of women, has lived in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"61\">New York<\/a> and has been the target of multiple Iranian plots in recent years, including a 2021 kidnapping attempt prosecutors said involved plans to transport her by boat to Venezuela and then Iran. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York, Loadholt worked with another New York man to stalk Alinejad outside her Brooklyn home in 2024 after being recruited by an associate linked to Iran\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/irgc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4246\">Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors said Loadholt accepted cash payments and used encrypted communications while helping conduct surveillance intended to facilitate Alinejad\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTehran attempted to murder a U.S. journalist in the United States simply because she exposed a few of that regime\u2019s many abuses,\u201d Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said.\u00a0\u201cThe defendant now stands convicted and sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for his role in this plot.\u00a0The Department and its colleagues will work tirelessly to protect Americans and to seek justice when our laws are broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to prosecutors, Loadholt\u2019s co-defendant, Carlisle Rivera, also known as \u201cPop,\u201d was hired by Farhad Shakeri to murder Alinejad on instructions from high-ranking members of the Guard. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shakeri offered Rivera $100,000 for him and Loadholt to locate and kill Alinejad. Rivera then recruited Loadholt, and the two used money sent by Shakeri to conduct surveillance, buy a firearm, and purchase burner cellphones. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The men followed Alinejad to a public speaking event at Fairfield University and repeatedly stalked her home. In messages cited by the Justice Department, Loadholt and Rivera discussed expected payments and shared updates and photographs related to the plot. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"h-trump-administration-disputes-framework-of-possible-iran-deal-reported-by-tehran-state-media\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4583323\/trump-administration-disputes-framework-iran-deal\/\"><strong>TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DISPUTES FRAMEWORK OF POSSIBLE IRAN DEAL REPORTED BY TEHRAN STATE MEDIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Loadholt was arrested on Nov. 7, 2024, before he and Rivera could carry out the killing. Law enforcement agents recovered more than two dozen rounds of ammunition from his residence, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rivera was sentenced in January to 15 years in prison after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-seeks-death-penalty-for-buffalo-supermarket-shooter-first-one-under-biden-admin\/\" title=\"DOJ seeks death penalty for Buffalo shooter, first under Biden admin\">previously pleading guilty<\/a> to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Shakeri remains at large.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Staten Island man sentenced to 10 years for Iran-linked plot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2607595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP22266601211474.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33740,3823,65996,32433],"class_list":["post-2607594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-court-ruling","tag-iran","tag-murder-plot","tag-prison-sentence"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP22266601211474.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2607594"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607598,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2607594\/revisions\/2607598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2607594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2607594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2607594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}