Alleged murder-for-hire plot has Las Vegas connection

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A Florida man, known to hang out with celebrities, is facing charges in a wild murder-for-hire plot that targeted a filmmaker making a documentary on him. The case was connected to Nevada when the suspect allegedly hired a bodyguard in Clark County to do the murder.

Fereidoun Khalilian, also known as “Prince Fred,” 51, made an initial court appearance Tuesday after being charged with one count of using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to witness tamper.

Khalilian, a former nightclub owner and business partner of Paris Hilton, was arrested at a Las Vegas Dunkin’ doughnut store in June, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Khalilian feared the filmmaker would show him in a bad light and it would negatively impact his business dealings. The indictment said Khalilian left multiple threatening messages for the filmmaker to stop producing the documentary in March 2023. According to the indictment, Khalilian hired his bodyguard, who lived in Las Vegas, to kill the filmmaker but the case took an unusual twist.

According to multiple news articles, the bodyguard and filmmaker turned the tables on Khalilian and staged the filmmaker’s murder, even sending a fake photo to Khalilian. The U.S. District Attorney’s Office said Khalilian then instructed family and friends to persuade the bodyguard to recant prior testimony.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles announced the murder-for-hire charges against Khalilian were dropped after learning Khalilian was in France when he allegedly ordered the hit. Those charges could be reinstated. In the meantime, Khalilian faces witness tampering charges.

Nevada U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah set a trial date for Feb. 5, 2024. for the Nevada charges.