Louis Geri, a 41-year-old resident of Vineland, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges related to threatening attendees at the annual Red Mass held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Geri admitted to one count of Hobbs Act extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device). Judge Randolph M. Moss presided over the plea hearing and scheduled sentencing for July 27, 2026. The court will formally accept Geri’s plea at that time.
According to the plea agreement, on October 4, 2025, Geri traveled by motorcycle to St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Rhode Island Avenue NW and set up a tent on the church steps. Inside the tent he assembled more than 100 homemade explosive devices using materials such as nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal, and thermite—components he purchased in Arkansas and assembled in Virginia. He also carried a nine-page list of written demands.
The Red Mass is an annual religious event attended by members of the Supreme Court, Cabinet officials, Congress members, and diplomatic representatives.
At approximately 5 a.m. on October 5, Metropolitan Police Department officers approached Geri’s tent during their patrol before the service began. When asked to move his tent, Geri refused and threatened to throw an explosive device into the street as a demonstration. 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.
Geri’s written demands included requests for large cash payments for himself and others, extended stays at the Mayflower Hotel, an expatriation flight to Japan, and that the Supreme Court remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a “foreign enemy.” He also issued several demands directed at Catholic and Jewish leaders.
Law enforcement created a barricade around Geri’s tent and apprehended him shortly before 6 a.m., when he exited briefly. Officers found one explosive device in his pocket along with a butane lighter; inside the tent they discovered more than 100 additional devices. FBI laboratory testing confirmed these were operable improvised explosive devices.
After being taken into custody and waiving his Miranda rights, Geri described his devices as “grenades” and “rockets.” He admitted intending to use threats of force for negotiations and expressed willingness to harm people or property—including St. Matthew’s Cathedral itself as well as prominent sites like the White House, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol building, and Supreme Court.
The investigation involved collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Washington Field Division); with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter is prosecuting this case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.