NEW JERSEY MAN SENTENCED TO 70 MONTHS FOR THREATENING RED MASS ATTENDEES WITH MORE THAN 100 HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVE DEVICES

WASHINGTON — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison after admitting that he threatened to detonate more than 100 homemade explosive devices outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., ahead of the annual Red Mass attended by members of the U.S. Supreme Court and other senior government officials.

Louis Geri, 42, of Vineland, New Jersey, was sentenced September 28, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Randolph M. Moss. Geri was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of 87 months.

Geri pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, to one count of Hobbs Act extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.

The case stems from events that began on the evening of October 4, 2025.

According to the plea agreement, Geri rode a motorcycle to St. Matthew’s Cathedral on the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW and set up a tent on the front steps of the church. Inside the tent, Geri assembled more than 100 explosive devices using materials that included nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal, and thermite.

Federal prosecutors said the materials had been purchased in Arkansas and the devices assembled in Virginia. Geri also brought a nine-page list of written demands.

The timing placed him directly outside the cathedral hours before the annual Red Mass.

The Red Mass is a high-profile annual religious ceremony attended by members of the Supreme Court, Cabinet, Congress, and diplomatic corps.

At approximately 5 a.m. on October 5, Metropolitan Police Department officers patrolling the area approached Geri’s tent and told him that he would need to move.

Geri refused.

According to the plea agreement, he threatened to throw one of the explosive devices into the street to demonstrate its destructive capability. He also warned officers that people would die if federal agents did not arrive to negotiate his demands.

The written demands sought hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments for Geri and others, extended accommodations at the Mayflower Hotel, and an expatriation flight to Japan. The document also contained a demand that the Supreme Court remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a foreign enemy.

Additional demands were directed at leaders of the Catholic and Jewish faiths. Police established a barricade around the area while officers worked to contain the threat. At approximately 5:53 a.m., Geri briefly emerged from the tent and was taken into custody. Officers found an explosive device in his pocket along with a butane lighter. A subsequent search of the tent recovered more than 100 additional devices.

The devices were later examined by an FBI laboratory.

Federal authorities said laboratory testing confirmed that the recovered devices were operable improvised explosive devices.

That finding established that investigators were dealing with functioning explosives rather than inert objects intended only to resemble weapons.

Following his arrest, Geri waived his Miranda rights and spoke with investigators. He described the devices as “grenades” and “rockets.”

According to the plea agreement, Geri admitted that he intended to use the threat of force to compel negotiations over his demands. He also admitted that he was willing to use the devices against people and property.

Federal prosecutors identified several potential targets Geri discussed, including St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the White House, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, and U.S. Supreme Court.

The confrontation occurred before the Red Mass began, allowing law enforcement to secure the area and arrest Geri before the scheduled service.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said the case involved threats directed at a house of worship and individuals attending a major religious event.

She said the 70-month sentence reflected the seriousness of the conduct and the government’s responsibility to protect people exercising their right to worship. The case involved both an extortion offense and a federal explosives offense.

The Hobbs Act prohibits certain forms of robbery and extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.

Geri’s conviction centered on his admitted attempt to use threats of violence to force authorities to respond to his demands.

His second conviction involved possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.

The presence of more than 100 operable devices placed the case well beyond a verbal threat alone. Investigators recovered physical explosives, chemical materials, ignition equipment, and written demands from the scene.

The FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department conducted the investigation.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division provided additional assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Geri has now pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

The case is no longer at the allegation stage.

He will serve 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conduct involving extortion, an unregistered destructive device, and a threat involving more than 100 operable homemade explosives outside one of Washington’s most prominent religious institutions.

United States v. Louis Geri
Criminal No. 26-cr-32 (RMM)
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

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