In a significant development, federal authorities have charged three individuals, including an Iranian national, with plotting the killings of two Maryland residents, according to an indictment filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI in Minnesota. The indictment, unsealed on Monday, sheds light on a murder-for-hire scheme that transpired between December 2020 and March 2021.

The alleged perpetrators, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, Damion Patrick John Ryan, and Adam Richard Pearson, are accused of meticulously planning their plot using an encrypted communication service. They reportedly gathered photos of the intended victims and procured maps to determine their specific locations. Court documents reveal that the targeted individuals had relocated to Maryland after one of them defected from Iran.

Zindashti, described as an Iranian narcotics trafficker, is believed to be associated with a network that received directions from the Iranian regime to assassinate Iranian dissidents and opposition activists. A statement by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, released on Monday, confirmed Zindashti's involvement in targeting individuals on foreign soil.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the DOJ's National Security Division emphasized the gravity of the charges, stating, "To those in Iran who plot murders on U.S. soil and the criminal actors who work with them, let today's charges send a clear message: The Department of Justice will pursue you as long as it takes - and wherever you are - and deliver justice."

According to the indictment, Ryan, a member of the outlaw Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, was responsible for assembling a four-man team of gunmen who would travel to Maryland to execute the intended victims. In January 2021, Zindashti contacted Ryan through the encrypted service, expressing readiness for the plot to proceed. The court documents reveal that the men agreed upon a payment of $350,000 for the assassination, along with an additional $20,000 for travel expenses.

All three individuals face charges of conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. In addition to this charge, Pearson is also accused of possession of a firearm by a fugitive from justice and possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States. The indictment identifies Zindashti, also known as "Big" and "Big Guy," as a resident of Iran.

The indictment was filed in Minnesota's U.S. District Court on December 13, 2023, marking a significant step in the pursuit of justice for the planned assassination in Maryland. Federal authorities are committed to ensuring that those involved in plotting murders on American soil face the full force of the law.