UNITED STATES—In a November 8, press release by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent, Matthew Chrusz reported the charges filed against, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera (aka ”Pop”), and Jonathan Loadholt for participating in a murder-for-hire plot targeting former President and President-elect, Donald J. Trump.

Special Agent Chrusz wrote the following overview of the case.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (the “Government of Iran) is actively targeting nationals of the United States and its allies living in countries around the world for attacks, including assault, kidnapping, and murder.

The Government of Iran, and particularly the IRGC and its external operations force, the IRGC-Qods Force (“IRGC-QF”),1 has a history of targeting individuals that the Government of lran perceives as enemies, including dissidents living outside Iran and political adversaries.

The Government of lran engages in these activities to silence dissidents, and, in the case of political enemies, to seek revenge and sow discord. The regime also seeks to target nationals of the United States in retaliation for the death of Qasem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC-QF who was killed by a U.S. military strike in Baghdad on or about January 3, 2020.”

Photo Credit: Khashayar Kouchpeydeh

Rivera and Loadholt were arrested in the southern district of New York and taken into custody. Reports indicate that Shakeri is an Iranian National who has yet to be brought to justice. He is reportedly in Tehran, Iran. The charges for all three suspects are as follows.

Count One, Conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Count Two, Provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Count Three, Murder for hire.

Count Four, Conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

Count Five, Money laundering conspiracy.

Count Six, Conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Powers Act.

Each suspect is facing sentences that are not limited to 20 years of prison time for each offense. The dates go as far back as 2019 and may include other suspects and other Americans who may have been targeted.  The full text of the complaint with the details may be found here.24mag3904_complaint DOJ