Man gets 6 years in prison for taking explosives to church hosting annual Red Mass for justices

A New Jersey man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Monday for bringing homemade explosive devices to a Washington, D.C. church preparing for an annual Mass honoring the beginning of the Supreme Court's term. Louis Geri, who declined to speak before the judge, was given a five-year and 10-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release.

The judge, Randolph Moss, emphasized the danger Geri posed to the public while acknowledging the defendant's history of severe mental health issues and his need for proper treatment.

Geri was arrested on October 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where authorities were clearing the area prior to the Red Mass event. Police found in his possession documents expressing "significant animosity" toward the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish people, and the Supreme Court. Outside the church, Geri had set up a tent with over 100 homemade explosives and a nine-page list of written demands.

He told officers that several people would die if his demands weren't met, including the destruction of prominent landmarks like the Washington Monument, Supreme Court, and the White House.

Geri's written demands included requests for money, an "expatriation flight" to Japan, and for the Supreme Court to remove Arizona from the United States. Prosecutors stated that Geri's intent was clear: if his demands were not met, innocent people would die and historic landmarks would be destroyed. His attorney argued that the New Jersey native, diagnosed with bipolar disorder over two decades ago, stopped taking his medication in the months leading up to his arrest and that his actions were the result of an untreated medical condition, not malice or a desire to harm others.

Geri pleaded guilty to two felony counts in March: illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion through wrongful use of force, violence, or fear.