NJ man pleads guilty to threatening Red Mass attendees with homemade explosives at DC cathedral

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty after threatening to detonate more than 100 homemade explosive devices outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral during the annual Red Mass attended by U.S. Supreme Court justices and other senior officials.

What we know:

Louis Geri, 41, of Vineland, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Geri pleaded guilty to:

• Hobbs Act extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear
• Possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device)

Sentencing is scheduled for July 27, 2026.

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What prosecutors say happened outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral

According to court documents, on the evening of Oct. 4, 2025, Geri rode his motorcycle to St. Matthew’s Cathedral on the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW and set up a tent on the church’s front steps.

Inside the tent, prosecutors say he assembled more than 100 explosive devices made from materials including nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal and thermite. The materials were purchased in Arkansas and assembled in Virginia.

The Red Mass — a high-profile annual Catholic service attended by members of the Supreme Court, Cabinet, Congress and the diplomatic corps — was scheduled for the following morning.

At approximately 5 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2025, Metropolitan Police officers approached Geri while patrolling before the service. When officers told him he needed to move, prosecutors say Geri refused and threatened to throw one of the devices into the street.

According to the plea agreement, he told officers that "several of your people are gonna die from one of these" if federal agents did not come to negotiate his demands.

What prosecutors say Geri demanded

Prosecutors say Geri carried a nine-page list of demands that included:

• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments
• Extended accommodations at the Mayflower Hotel
• An expatriation flight to Japan
• A request that the Supreme Court remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a "foreign enemy"

He also made demands directed at leaders of the Catholic and Jewish faiths.

Law enforcement established a perimeter and arrested Geri at approximately 5:53 a.m. when he briefly exited the tent.

Officers recovered one explosive device from his pocket and more than 100 additional devices from inside the tent. An FBI laboratory later confirmed the devices were improvised explosive devices in operable condition.

After his arrest, prosecutors say Geri waived his Miranda rights and described the devices as "grenades" and "rockets." He admitted he intended to use the threat of force to coerce negotiations and was willing to harm people and property, including St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.

What they're saying:

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in a statement:

"Threatening to detonate devices on the steps of a Catholic church—or any religious institution—is a violation not only of our way of life, but of the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. Terrorizing people of faith will result in serious consequences and significant prison time."

Multi-agency response led to arrest

The case was investigated by:

• Metropolitan Police Department
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Washington Field Division)
• FBI Washington Field Office

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter.