Two Eastern European organized crime leaders have been found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot targeting a U.S.-based journalist, Masih Alinejad, on behalf of the Iranian government. The verdict was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office.
Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were convicted on all five counts in the Superseding Indictment, including charges related to murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering. The trial took place before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Sentencing is scheduled for September 17, 2025.
"For years, the Government of Iran has attempted to silence an outspoken Iranian journalist," said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky. "This verdict should send a clear message around the world: if you target U.S. citizens, we will find you."
Leslie R. Backschies added: "The convictions of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov send a clear message to all foreign governments who violate our laws and attempt to commit violence against Americans — they and their proxies will face justice."
The case details reveal that Amirov and Omarov were high-ranking members of an Azeri faction within the Russian Mob who received instructions from high-ranking members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to kill Alinejad due to her activism against Iran's human rights abuses.
In July 2022, Amirov provided targeting information about Alinejad to Omarov, who then passed it on to Khalid Mehdiyev in Yonkers, New York. Mehdiyev surveilled Alinejad's residence with plans to execute her using an AK-47 style assault rifle purchased with funds arranged by Amirov and Omarov.
On July 24, 2022, Mehdiyev reported being "at the crime scene." By July 28, he had communicated his readiness to carry out the plan but was apprehended after a traffic violation revealed his possession of weapons and ammunition.
Following Mehdiyev’s arrest, Omarov threatened his family unless they cooperated with locating him.
Amirov and Omarov face sentences ranging from ten years for conspiracy charges up to life imprisonment for firearm-related charges associated with attempted murder.
Acting U.S. Attorney Podolsky praised law enforcement agencies including the FBI’s New York Field Office Counterintelligence-Cyber Division for their investigative work. The prosecution is managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Lockard, Jacob H. Gutwillig, and Matthew J.C. Hellman among others.
