WASHINGTON – A New Jersey man was sentenced Monday to nearly six years in federal prison after bringing homemade explosive devices to a Washington church ahead of the annual Red Mass, a service that marks the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term.
Louis Geri did not speak before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sentenced him to five years and 10 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release.
In determining the sentence, Moss weighed the threat Geri posed to the public against what the judge described as the defendant’s history of “very serious mental health issues” and his need for continued treatment.
“This was an extremely serious offense,” Moss said. “It may have been carried out in a bizarre manner, but the threat of violence was a serious one.”
Geri was arrested Oct. 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle as police secured the area before the Red Mass. Authorities said they found documents expressing “significant animosity” toward the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish people and the Supreme Court. Several justices typically attend the event, although none appeared at last year’s service.
According to a court filing, Geri had erected a tent on the church steps stocked with more than 100 homemade explosive devices and a nine-page “list of written demands.” He told officers he possessed explosives and warned that “several of your people are gonna die from one of these” if his demands were not fulfilled, the filing states.
Among Geri’s demands were money, an “expatriation flight” to Japan and the removal of Arizona from the United States by the Supreme Court.
“The defendant’s intent was clear: If his list of demands was not met, innocent people would die and prominent, historic landmarks, such as the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, and the White House, would be destroyed,” prosecutors wrote.
Geri’s attorney said her client, a New Jersey native who traveled to Washington from Arkansas, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder more than 20 years ago. He stopped taking his medication in the months before his arrest outside the cathedral, the attorney said.
“His conduct was the product of a treatable medical condition spiraling out of control, not malice or an actual intent to harm,” defense attorney Elizabeth Mullin wrote.
In March, Geri pleaded guilty to two felony charges: illegally possessing a destructive device and extortion through the wrongful use of force, violence or fear.
Geri and federal prosecutors jointly recommended a sentence between five years and 10 months and seven years and three months. Although Moss was not required to follow that recommendation, Geri would have been allowed to withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposed a longer term.
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