New Jersey Man Sentenced for Explosives Outside Washington D.C. Cathedral

A New Jersey man, Louis Geri, has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison after being found with over 100 homemade explosive devices outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred on October 5, 2025, shortly before the church was scheduled to host the annual Red Mass, a traditional service for legal professionals and Supreme Court justices.

Police discovered Geri in a tent on the church steps, where he refused to vacate the premises and threatened to detonate his devices. Following his arrest, Geri faced charges including Hobbs Act extortion and possession of an unregistered firearm. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, who also ordered three years of supervised release, cited both the public danger posed by the explosives and Geri’s history of mental health issues in his sentencing decision. While the Red Mass is a long-standing tradition in the capital, no Supreme Court justices were in attendance at the 2025 service.