A 51-year-old man from Brooklyn has received a 15-year prison sentence for his role in a failed Iranian murder-for-hire plot against prominent US-based dissident and activist Masih Alinejad.
Carlisle Rivera previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of conspiracy to commit stalking before US District Judge Lewis Liman, who imposed Wednesday’s sentence, the Justice Department confirmed.
Rivera and another defendant, Jonathan Loadholt, had been hired by an operative working on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to kill Alinejad, with each receiving a payment of $100,000.
A long-time critic of Iran’s Islamic regime and its enforcement of compulsory head coverings for women, Alinejad is a prominent dissident and activist, often recognised for wearing a symbolic flower in her hair. She fled Iran in 2009 out of fear for her safety.
On social media, particularly X, where she has more than 780,000 followers, Alinejad frequently reposts videos of women in Iran defying the country’s modesty laws.
Prosecutors said the IRGC has repeatedly tried to target Alinejad.
It is the third time that she – as well as her husband Kambiz Foroohar – have faced their would-be killers in court. During Wednesday’s proceedings, in front of Rivera, she described having to constantly be on the lookout for people who mean to do her harm.
“I never thought that in the US, I [would] have to look over my shoulder. I have to because of people like you,” she said.
The sentencing of Rivera came one day before the European Union announced it would list the IRGC as a terrorist group. The bloc’s measures were introduced following a crackdown on widespread anti-government protests in Iran that erupted after an economic collapse in December and drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets across all 31 provinces.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has faced mounting pressure since December to ban the IRGC in the UK. The government has so far resisted calls for proscription, with Business Secretary Peter Kyle saying earlier this month that such a move would not be “appropriate,” claiming the IRGC’s status as a “state organisation” makes it harder to proscribe than non-state actors like Hamas and Hezbollah.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.