Two eastern European gangsters never plotted to murder exiled Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad, despite claims to the contrary by a bumbling “pizza delivery hitman,” one of the suspects’ defense lawyers claimed in her closing argument Wednesday.
Polad Omarov and Rafat Amirov were only trying to “scam” Iranian officials out of $500,000 in a bizarre scheme that involved sending would-be assassin Khalid Mehdiyev outside Alinejad’s Brooklyn home with instructions not to kill her, attorney Elena Fast claimed.
“This is ridiculous! There was no murder plot,” Fast said in her closing statement at the Manhattan trial of Omarov and Amirov, who are charged with ordering the brazen hit on Alinejad in July 2022.
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Mehdiyev botched the high-stakes hit in spectacular fashion — including by ordering food to his car outside her home, ambling around maskless on her porch and then running a stop sign while fleeing the scene, leading to his arrest, the feds say.
Omarov’s lawyer claimed that the staggering slipups from Mehdiyev — who said he had been selling pizzas in the Bronx before his arrest — were evidence that his handlers never wanted to kill Alinejad at all.
“This was a scam,” Fast told jurors. “There was no James Bond 007. They hired a clown as the hit man.”
Among the evidence the feds have revealed during the week-and-a-half-long trial are photos of gaudy cake gifts that Omarov received touting his place in a criminal organization called the Thieves-in-Law.
One treat Omarov received was topped with a gold crown and an edible handgun, evidence shows.
Fast started her closing statements by inviting the jury to imagine they were watching a TV show called “The Pizza Delivery Hitman.”
The Russia-born attorney then put on an eastern European accent and acted out a skit for jurors in which she pretended to take orders for both pizzas and murders at Peppino’s, the White Plains Road pizza shop where Mehdiyev worked before he was busted.
Mehdivev was both the “world’s most dishonest Peppino’s pizzeria manager” and the “world’s most dishonest Russian gangster,” she said, calling him a “liar who cannot be trusted.”
Prosecutors countered that Omarov and Amirov were “all too eager” to claim a $500,000 “bounty” that the Iranian government put out for Alinejad, who is known for her outspoken criticism of the Iranian regime and how it treats the nation’s women.
The feds drew jurors’ attention to the trove of texts between Mehdiyev and the two defendants — who are all part of the same gang based in their home nation of Azerbaijan — outlining the plot to kill Alinejad.
“They called for God’s blessing on their murderous endeavor, and they prayed for results,” prosecutor Michael Lockhard said as Omarov and Amirov sat calmly at the defense table, their hands folded across their lap, slumping into their chairs.
Alinejad took the stand Tuesday and described the moment she saw her would-be killer staring straight into her eyes through her pristine sunflower patch — but she said she figured the “gigantic” hitman was just admiring her garden.
Agents of the Iranian government have been hunting Alinejad relentlessly since she fled the Middle Eastern country in 2009, but their barbarous schemes have so far fallen short.
Jury deliberations are expected to begin Thursday. The alleged gangster duo has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could imprison them for decades if they’re convicted.
Mehdiyev — who said he was paid $30,000 for the botched hit — decided to cooperate with the feds after pleading guilty to attempted murder and gun charges.
He faces at least 15 years in prison for trying to kill Alinejad and unrelated racketeering charges.
