By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Jan 27 vlog
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 29 - A man from Azerbaijan was arrested with an AK-47 style assault rifle surveilling the Brooklyn home of an Iranian journalist, Inner City Press exclusively reported learned on July 29, 2022,
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York past 5 pm that day, a detention or release proceeding was held by Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave on defendant Khalid Mehdiyev. Inner City Press was the only media there.
On January 27, 2023, Mehdiyev's paymaster was presented, but not arraigned, again before Judge Cave. Vlog here
On February 1, both Amirov and Mehdiyev were on court before District Judge Colleen McMahon.
On March 10, jury selection went past 5 pm and still wasn't finished.
On March 11, opening statements, BOP witness and ... Mehdiyev, about the Russian mob, Guli vor, and Polad. The AUSA says he has two to five hours more - Judge McMahon said tighten it up. Thread here, more / extra on Substack here.
On March 13 Mehdiyev was crossed by Omarov's lawyer about, among many other things, making up the death of his mother and his visa fraud, thread
On March 14 Mehdiyev's mother testified then was cross examined. She denied wanting a green card, and that she told her son on a recorded call that they "had" to get to the US. More on X for Subscribers here and Substack here
On March 17 the trial continued including with the FBI's Iran squad chief testifying that Mehdiyev got paid, $30,000 in cash - thread
On March 18, Masih Alinejad herself testified (Inner City Press thread) - there was no cross examination, and after the charge conference, closing arguments approach...
On March 19, the closing arguments, with the defense targeting the credibility of Mehdiyev - and his mother, thread
On March 20, the same afternoon the jury got the case it found both men guilty on all charges, though Amirov for money laundering only on international promotion, not concealment...
On August 14 counsel for Polad Omarov wrote in that "in a sealed ex parte letter submitted on June 6, 2025 Mr. Omarov's defense counsel had requested permission to travel to Georgia in preparation for sentencing." Then, "military escalations" but now "the US, Israel and Iran entered into a ceasefire agreement." So they want to go again, and to postpone Omarov's sentencing to Oct 27-30 or after Dec 1. Amirov wants to go forward...
On August 20, Judge McMahon docketed, "re: adjourn sentencing. ENDORSEMENT: The sentencings for both Amirov and Omarov are adj. to Oct. 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM."
On October 15 Omarov asked for 120 months, Amirov for 156 months.
On October 22 the US Attorney's Office asked for 660 months - 55 years - on each defendant.
On October 27 counsel to Omarov wrote in about an amended Exhibit B - but the original Exhibit B, about a taxpayer funded evidence gather trip to Georgia, does not appear to have been docketed. Nor will Omarov speak in court on October 29.
Inner City Press live tweeted on October 29. Both defendants were sentenced to 25 years. Afterward Inner City Press asked Masih Alinejad, and Mark Wallace, about the UN [from which Inner City Press remains banned]
Q&A here
On the case, more on X for Subscribers here and Substack here
The case is USA v. Medhiyev, et al., 1:22-cr-438 (McMahon)
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