Louis Geri was sentenced to five years and ten months in federal prison after being arrested on Oct. 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle with more than 100 homemade explosive devices and a nine-page list of demands. He threatened that people could die and that national landmarks might be destroyed if his demands were not met. Geri pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion; the judge noted Geri's long history of serious mental-health issues while underscoring the gravity of the threat.
Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years After Bringing 100+ Homemade Explosives to D.C. Church Ahead of Red Mass
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
A New Jersey man was sentenced Monday to five years and ten months in federal prison after bringing more than 100 homemade explosive devices to the steps of a Washington, D.C., cathedral as police cleared the area for the annual Red Mass marking the start of the U.S. Supreme Court's term.
Sentence and Court Remarks
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss imposed the sentence and added three years of supervised release. Louis Geri declined to address the court at the hearing.
"This was an extremely serious offense," Moss said, noting that while the conduct was bizarre, the threat of violence was real. The judge said he weighed the danger Geri posed to the public against the defendant's long history of very serious mental-health issues and the need for treatment.
Arrest and Evidence
Geri was arrested on Oct. 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle as officers cleared the area in advance of the Red Mass. Investigators say Geri had set up a tent on the cathedral steps containing more than 100 homemade explosive devices and a nine-page list of written demands.
Authorities reported finding paperwork on Geri expressing strong animosity toward the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish people and the Supreme Court. According to court filings, he told officers he had explosives and warned that “several of your people are gonna die from one of these” if his demands were not met.
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on the morning after the conservative majority sided with the Trump administration in a case over President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Demands, Charges and Plea
The nine-page list of demands included requests for money, an “expatriation flight” to Japan and for the Supreme Court to remove the state of Arizona from the United States. Prosecutors wrote that if Geri's demands were not met, innocent people could die and national landmarks such as the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court and the White House could be destroyed.
Geri pleaded guilty in March to two felony counts: illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion by wrongful use of force, violence or fear. Defense and prosecutors had agreed that a prison term between five years and ten months and seven years and three months would be appropriate; the judge was not bound by that recommendation.
Defense Account
Defense attorney Elizabeth Mullin said Geri, a Vineland, New Jersey, native who had traveled to Washington from Arkansas, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder more than two decades ago and had stopped taking his medication in the months before the arrest. Mullin argued his conduct was the product of a treatable medical condition spiraling out of control rather than deliberate malice or a concrete intent to carry out mass harm.
The court imposed the agreed-upon term near the low end of the sentencing range and ordered three years of supervised release following incarceration.
Help us improve.
