New Jersey man sentenced for threatening to bomb cathedral before Supreme Court service
New Jersey man sentenced for threatening to bomb cathedral before Supreme Court service
A New Jersey man has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for threatening to detonate more than 100 homemade bombs outside a cathedral in Washington, D.C., according to federal prosecutors.
Arrest and charges
Louis Geri, 42, of Vineland, N.J., was sentenced on Monday to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
He pleaded guilty on March 5 to extortion through force, violence or fear and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
The incident began on the evening of October 4, 2025, when Louis Geri rode his motorcycle to St. Matthew’s Cathedral in the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW and pitched a tent on its front steps.
Inside the tent, he assembled more than 100 explosive devices using materials purchased in Arkansas and put together in Virginia.
He also brought a nine-page list of demands.
Charges and court proceedings
The threat prevented Supreme Court justices from attending an annual religious service.
The cathedral was scheduled to hold the Red Mass the following morning, an annual religious service attended by Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, lawmakers and diplomats.
