John Reardon, 59, of Millis, Mass., pleaded guilty on Monday to three charges related to phone calls he made threatening to kill members of the Jewish community and bomb synagogues.
On Jan. 25, Reardon left voicemail messages with threats of violence at two Massachusetts synagogues—the first in Attleboro and then the second in Sharon—within 10 minutes. After Reardon was arrested, law enforcement discovered that he had also made 98 harassing and intimidating calls to the Israeli Consulate in Boston between Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 29, 2024.
“This defendant’s threats to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish children stoked fear in the hearts of congregants at a time when Jews are already facing a disturbing increase in threats,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Reardon pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure a person and one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce—both of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts said that Reardon’s actions “must be met with the full force of the criminal justice system to make sure victims and potential offenders alike know that hate crimes and acts of antisemitism will never be tolerated.”
