A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to having attempted a bombing plot against an October 2025 Red Mass in Washington, D.C., a liturgy whose attendees regularly include Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials.
Louis Geri was arrested outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Oct. 5, 2025, with police at the time reporting he had potential explosives on his person and in his tent set up near the church’s entrance.
The U.S. Department of Justice said on March 5 that Geri pleaded guilty to a violation of the Hobbs Act, specifically “extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear.”
Geri also pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm, the Department of Justice said.
The government said Geri had with him a list of demands that included “hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to himself and others” as well as “extended accommodations” at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington.
Geri also demanded an expatriation flight to Japan and that the Supreme Court “remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a ‘foreign enemy,’” the government said.
He further “made numerous demands directed at leaders of the Catholic and Jewish faiths,” according to the Justice Department.
Testing subsequently confirmed that Geri’s explosive devices were “in operable condition,” the government said. Geri’s sentencing is set for July 27.
Nobody was injured in the incident. Though Supreme Court justices have regularly attended Washington’s Red Mass, none were present at the 2025 liturgy due to security concerns.
Attendees at the 2024 liturgy included Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. as well as Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar, the U.S. solicitor general, was also in attendance.
Red Masses are offered for those who work in all legal professions. The practice dates back to the 13th century.
