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

A New Jersey man received a prison sentence of five years and 10 months on Monday for bringing homemade explosives to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss also ordered three years of supervised release for Louis Geri.

Geri was arrested on Oct. 5, 2025, as police cleared the area around the cathedral before the annual Red Mass, a ceremony celebrating the start of the Supreme Court term. According to court filings, Geri set up a tent on the church steps containing more than 100 homemade explosives and a nine-page list of demands. These demands included requests for money and an expatriation flight to Japan. Geri reportedly told police that people would die if his demands were not met.

Police found paperwork in Geri's possession expressing animosity toward the Supreme Court, Jewish people, and the Catholic Church. In sentencing, Judge Moss noted that while the offense may have been carried out in a bizarre manner, the threat of violence was serious. The judge stated he balanced the public danger Geri poses with the defendant's history of serious mental health issues and the need for treatment. Geri declined to speak before the court during the sentencing.