- Jonathan Loadholt, 37, of Staten Island, N.Y., was sentenced on May 27 to 10 years in prison for his role in a plot directed by the Iranian government to murder Masih Alinejad, a U.S. citizen, journalist, author, and human rights activist who has publicly opposed the Iranian regime.
- Prosecutors said Loadholt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking and conspiracy to commit money laundering after helping Carlisle Rivera, also known as “Pop,” surveil Alinejad on behalf of Farhad Shakeri, who was acting on instructions from high-ranking members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- According to the DOJ, Rivera and Loadholt used money from Shakeri to conduct surveillance, purchase a firearm and burner phones, follow Alinejad to a public speaking event at Fairfield University, and repeatedly stalk her Brooklyn home. Loadholt was arrested Nov. 7, 2024, before the plot was carried out. READ MORE