Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Journalist Critical of the Iranian Government

NEW YORK CITY — A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a murder-for-hire conspiracy and stalking campaign directed at a U.S.-based journalist and outspoken critic of the Iranian government, following a plot linked to foreign intelligence direction.

Carlisle Rivera, 50, also known as “Pop,” was sentenced in the Southern District of New York after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit stalking. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, who also ordered three years of supervised release following Rivera’s prison term.

Target of the Plot

The intended victim of the plot was Masih Alinejad, a journalist, author, and human rights activist residing in New York City. Court records show that Alinejad had been repeatedly targeted due to her public criticism of the Iranian government, including her advocacy for women’s rights and her reporting on state corruption and repression.

Foreign-Directed Conspiracy

According to court filings, the murder-for-hire scheme originated in 2024, when Rivera was recruited by Farhad Shakeri, an associate living in Iran who acted as an intermediary. Shakeri conveyed instructions from individuals tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a military and intelligence organization that reports directly to Iran’s supreme leadership and has been linked to overseas intimidation and assassination operations.

Shakeri and Rivera were not strangers. The two men had previously been incarcerated together in New York State prisons decades earlier, following Rivera’s 1994 murder conviction and Shakeri’s 1991 manslaughter conviction. That prior relationship was later leveraged to recruit Rivera into the plot.

Planning, Surveillance, and Weapon Acquisition

Court documents detail that Rivera agreed to carry out the killing in exchange for $100,000. He subsequently enlisted Jonathon Loadholt, a friend and co-defendant, to assist him. Using funds transmitted through Shakeri, Rivera and Loadholt purchased a firearm and disposable mobile phones.

Over the following months, Rivera and his co-conspirators conducted surveillance operations, including:

• Tracking locations where they believed Alinejad resided
• Following her to public speaking events
• Photographing locations tied to her movements
• Exchanging voice messages and photographs documenting their progress

Messages recovered by investigators show Rivera discussing the difficulty of locating the target and referencing the firearm intended for the killing.

Arrest and Evidence Recovery

Before the plot could be carried out, Rivera was arrested on November 7, 2024. A search of his residence uncovered a firearm with a partially obliterated serial number, along with other materials tied to the conspiracy.

Related Defendants

• Jonathon Loadholt pleaded guilty in January 2026 to conspiracy to commit stalking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for April 2026.
• Farhad Shakeri remains at large and is believed to be outside the United States.

Broader Context

Court records outline that this was not an isolated attempt. Prior efforts to target Alinejad included kidnapping plots and earlier assassination attempts involving criminal intermediaries. The case reflects a broader pattern in which foreign governments have sought to use criminal proxies inside the United States to intimidate, silence, or eliminate critics residing on U.S. soil.

Federal authorities have increasingly treated such cases as national security matters, particularly where foreign intelligence services seek to exploit domestic criminal networks to conduct surveillance, intimidation, or violence.

Investigation

The investigation was led by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from federal and state law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors confirmed that the plot was disrupted before physical harm occurred.

Rivera will remain in federal custody as he serves his sentence.

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