Three people were charged Friday in connection with Iranian-backed murder-for-hire efforts that included assassinating President-elect Donald Trump.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran; Carlisle Rivera, also known as Pop, 49, of Brooklyn, New York; and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, New York, were charged with murder-for-hire in the case, according to a Justice Department news release.
Rivera and Loadholt appeared in court Friday after being arrested Thursday in New York. Shakeri remains in Iran.
As outlined by the Justice Department, Shakeri was working for Iran when he recruited Rivera and Loadholt to kill an American citizen of Iranian ancestry. Shakeri had American connections because he lived in the United States and was deported in 2008 after serving 14 years in prison after a robbery conviction.
The criminal complaint against the suspects said that in September, Shakeri spoke with the FBI as part of a deal in which Shakeri sought a reduced sentence for a federal prison.
The complaint said that in September, Iranian officials told Shakeri they had a more urgent mission for him.
“Also according to Shakeri, in approximately mid-to-late September 2024, IRGC Official-I asked Shakeri to put aside his other efforts on behalf of the IRGC and focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump (‘Victim-4’ herein),” the criminal complaint said.
“Shakeri indicated to IRGC Official-I that this would cost a ‘huge’ amount of money. In response, IRGC Official-I said that ‘we have already spent a lot of money … [s]o the money’s not an issue,’ which Shakeri understood to mean that the IRGC previously had spent a significant sum of money on efforts to murder Victim-4 and was willing to continue spending a lot of money in its attempt to procure Victim-4’s assassination,” the complaint continued.
The complaint said Iran expected Trump to lose the election, and that after losing, he might be more vulnerable.
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“According to Shakeri, during his meeting with IRGC Official-I on or about October 7, 2024, IRGC Official-I directed Shakeri to provide a plan within seven days to kill Victim-4,” the complaint said.
“If Shakeri was unable to put forth a plan within that timeframe, IRGC Official-I continued, the IRGC would pause its plan to kill Victim-4 until after the U.S. Presidential elections, because IRGC Official-I assessed that Victim-4 would lose the election and, afterward, it would be easier to assassinate Victim-4,” the complaint said.
“During the interview, Shakeri claimed to the FBI that he did not intend to propose a plan to murder Victim-4 within the timeframe set by IRGC Official-I,” the complaint said.
The release said that the suspects spent months surveilling their initial target, an American journalist of Iranian origin described as “an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime.” That journalist “has been the target of multiple prior plots for kidnapping and/or murder directed by the Government of Iran,” according to the news release.
Iran also wanted Shakeri to help it kill two Jewish Americans living in New York City, the release said.
Shakeri was also given the mission of targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, the release said.
“President Trump thanks the brave men and women of law enforcement for foiling this terrible plot by the terror regime in Iran,” Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign representative, said, according to USA Today.
“Swift and decisive action of our authorities is vital to deter future nefarious attempts to harm our country,” he said.
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