New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Explosives at Washington Cathedral During Judicial Event

A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., after threatening to detonate multiple explosive devices outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral during the annual “Red Mass,” a religious event traditionally attended by U.S. Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, attorneys, and other officials from the American legal community.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendant, Louis Geri, 41, set up a tent on the steps of the cathedral on the evening of October 4, 2025. Authorities later determined that he had constructed and stored more than 100 improvised explosive devices inside the tent. The devices were reportedly made using chemical materials such as nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal, and thermite.

In the early morning hours before the ceremony, police officers conducting routine security patrols approached the tent and asked the man to leave the area. At that point, the defendant threatened to throw an explosive device into the street and warned that several people could be killed if authorities did not negotiate with him.

When officers eventually detained the suspect, he was carrying an explosive device and a lighter in his pocket, while additional devices were discovered inside the tent. Subsequent testing conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that the recovered devices were operational and capable of detonating.

Investigators also recovered a nine-page list of demands addressed to federal authorities. Among the requests were financial payments, extended lodging at a Washington hotel, and transportation to leave the United States for Japan.

According to court documents, the defendant admitted that he intended to use the threat of violence and potential casualties to pressure authorities into meeting his demands.

Geri pleaded guilty to extortion through threats of violence and possession of an unregistered destructive device. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27, 2026, and he faces several years in federal prison under U.S. sentencing guidelines.

The case raised significant security concerns because the Red Mass is a high-profile event that brings together some of the most prominent figures in the United States judicial and legal community.