Overview
- U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon imposed 300-month sentences after a Manhattan jury in March convicted Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov of murder-for-hire and related charges.
- The terms were below the 55 years sought by prosecutors but higher than the 10 to 13 years requested by the defense.
- Prosecutors say the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps offered $500,000 for the assassination and the defendants enlisted gunman Khalid Mehdiyev, who pleaded guilty and testified.
- Mehdiyev was arrested in July 2022 near Alinejad’s Brooklyn home with an AK-style rifle, 66 rounds of ammunition, a ski mask, gloves, and cash, and he awaits sentencing.
- The Justice Department says its investigation remains open, with four Iran-based suspects charged in 2024 still not in U.S. custody.