Federal prosecutors have charged two New York men in connection with an alleged Iranian-backed assassination plot targeting former President Donald Trump and an Iranian dissident journalist, revealing a complex scheme that stretched from Brooklyn to Tehran.
Carlisle “Pop” Rivera, 49, of Brooklyn, New York, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, New York, appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday, November 8, 2024, on charges related to murder-for-hire and money laundering conspiracy.
The investigation centers on an alleged conspiracy orchestrated by Farhad Shakeri, who prosecutors identify as an operative working for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Shakeri, currently believed to be in Tehran, allegedly recruited Rivera and Loadholt to carry out surveillance and planned assassinations.
According to court documents, Rivera, a welder and father of two, became involved in the plot through his connection to Shakeri, whom he met while both were incarcerated at Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York. Rivera had previously served time for a 1994 second-degree murder conviction.
The investigation revealed that Rivera was initially recruited to target Masih Alinejad, a Brooklyn-based journalist known for her criticism of the Iranian regime. Prosecutors allege Rivera and Loadholt conducted extensive surveillance of Alinejad, including visiting Fairfield University in Connecticut where she was scheduled to speak.
FBI investigators obtained messages between the defendants that detailed their surveillance efforts. In one voice note, Rivera reportedly said, “You just gotta have patience to catch her either going in the house or coming out, or following her out somewhere and taking care of it. Don’t think about going in. In is a suicide move.” The defendants were allegedly promised $100,000 for Alinejad’s murder.
In another voice memo, Rivera said, “This b***h is hard to catch, bro. And because she hard to catch, there ain’t gonna be no simple pull up, unless there’s the luck of the draw.”
The scope of the plot expanded in late September when Shakeri’s Iranian handlers allegedly directed him to shift focus toward Trump. According to the Department of Justice, the IRGC requested Shakeri to develop a seven-day plan to surveil and assassinate the former president.
Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating: “There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the US as does Iran.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray added: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on US soil, and that simply won’t be tolerated.”
The Justice Department’s criminal complaint reveals that beyond Trump and Alinejad, the alleged conspiracy also targeted two Jewish American businesspeople in New York City who had expressed support for Israel on social media. Additionally, Shakeri allegedly discussed plans for attacking Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
Rivera and Loadholt remain in custody pending trial. If convicted, they face potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy charges, along with additional penalties for the murder-for-hire charges.