New Jersey man sentenced over explosives taken to Washington church

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for taking homemade explosive devices to a Washington, D.C., church preparing for an annual Mass associated with the opening of the US Supreme Court’s term. US District Judge Randolph Moss also ordered Louis Geri to serve three years of supervised release. Geri did not address the court before sentencing on Monday.

Moss said the sentence reflected both the danger Geri posed to the public and his history of serious mental-health problems. The judge described the offence as extremely serious, despite what he called its bizarre manner of execution. Geri was arrested on October 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle, where police were clearing the area before the annual Red Mass.

Court filings said officers found more than 100 homemade explosives in a tent he had set up outside the church. Police also found a nine-page list of written demands. According to a court filing, Geri told officers that he had explosives and that people would die if his demands were not met.

The demands included money, a flight to Japan and a request that Arizona be removed from the United States. Prosecutors said the demands threatened innocent people and prominent landmarks, including the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court and the White House. They also said Geri’s paperwork expressed animosity towards the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish people and the Supreme Court.

Geri pleaded guilty in March to illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion by wrongful use of force, violence or fear. His lawyer said he had bipolar disorder, had stopped taking medication and that his conduct resulted from a treatable medical condition rather than an intention to harm. The agreed sentencing range was five years and 10 months to seven years and three months.