A Staten Island man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in an Iranian-directed plot to stalk and murder journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad on US soil.

Jonathan Loadholt, 37, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking and conspiracy to commit money laundering. US District Judge Lewis J. Liman handed down the sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release.

Federal prosecutors said the plot was directed by the Government of Iran and involved efforts to target Alinejad, a US citizen and prominent critic of the Iranian regime’s abuses against women, political dissidents, and human rights activists.

According to prosecutors, Loadholt was recruited by co-defendant Carlisle Rivera, also known as “Pop,” a convicted murderer who had been hired by Farhad Shakeri to carry out the killing. Authorities said Shakeri was acting on instructions from high-ranking members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Shakeri allegedly offered Rivera $100,000 to locate and murder Alinejad. Rivera then brought Loadholt into the plot, prosecutors said. Using money sent by Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt bought a firearm and burner phones, used Loadholt’s car with fake license plates, and spent months trying to track Alinejad. Prosecutors said the pair followed her to a public speaking event at Fairfield University and repeatedly surveilled a Brooklyn home where Shakeri and the IRGC believed she lived.

Federal authorities said the men exchanged messages and photographs tied to the plot. In one July 2024 exchange, Loadholt complained about not receiving a $10,000 advance payment, writing, “So no 10 up front I’m guessing??” After Rivera confirmed there was no upfront payment, Loadholt replied, “I’m so frustrated son, I’m like ready to jump out the window.”

Loadholt was arrested on November 7, 2024, before the plot could be carried out. Law enforcement recovered more than two dozen rounds of ammunition from his residence. Rivera was previously sentenced in January 2026 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Shakeri remains at large.

“With today’s sentencing, Jonathan Loadholt will pay the price for participating in a plot orchestrated by Iran to kill a journalist and human rights activist who criticized the Iranian government’s policies,” said FBI Assistant Director Donald Holstead. “The FBI will use all our resources to detect and prevent anyone working for foreign powers who attempts to harm individuals living in the United States, and we will coordinate closely with the Justice Department to make sure such criminals face the full weight of American justice.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said Loadholt acted as a “hired gun” in the Iranian-backed plot. “Jonathan Loadholt served as a hired gun to stalk, surveil, and ultimately assassinate Masih Alinejad — a United States citizen — on behalf of the IRGC,” Barnacle said. “The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force disrupted and arrested him before he could carry out his plan. The FBI will squash all attempts to silence critics of oppressive regimes on American soil.”

“Tehran attempted to murder a US journalist in the United States simply because she exposed a few of that regime’s many abuses,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The defendant now stands convicted and sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for his role in this plot. The Department and its colleagues will work tirelessly to protect Americans and to seek justice when our laws are broken.”

US Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York said Iran has repeatedly attempted to find and kill Alinejad in New York City. “The Government of Iran has repeatedly attempted to locate and murder Masih Alinejad, right here in New York City,” Clayton said. “The Government of Iran tried to silence Ms. Alinejad because of her efforts to stand up to the Iranian regime and expose its discriminatory treatment of women, corruption, and human rights abuses. While this plot was directed from Iran, the would-be assassins were American citizens who agreed to kill Ms. Alinejad for money — out of greed. Today’s sentence should be a serious warning to anyone who tries to profit by carrying out the wishes of a hostile foreign regime on United States soil.”