Brooklyn Jury Hears Claim of IRGC Handler in Alleged Political Murder-for-Hire Plot
An FBI agent said Merchant told her the handler would reimburse the $5,000 he handed to undercover hit men.
Overview
- Prosecutors presented recordings of June 2024 meetings where Asif Merchant discussed arranging a killing and handed a $5,000 cash down payment to undercover FBI agents posing as hit men.
- FBI Special Agent Jacqueline Smith testified that Merchant said a cousin in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard introduced him to a handler, identified as Yousef, who told him to “act normal” if he sensed surveillance.
- Smith told jurors Merchant said the cousin provided the $5,000 and that he expected to be repaid through the Revolutionary Guard handler.
- Jurors saw evidence that Merchant searched for President Trump’s rally locations and that his laptop contained photos of Trump and Joe Biden, though prosecutors say no target was named in recorded talks.
- The defense highlighted that the July 2024 proffer interview was not recorded and the report is sealed, questioning the reliability of those statements, as jurors also viewed earlier Facebook posts showing violent images of Trump.