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Millis man pleads guilty to threatening to bomb synagogues
John Reardon, 59, admitted to making threats against synagogues in Attleboro and Sharon.
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty on Monday to threatening to bomb synagogues and kill members of the Jewish community earlier this year.
John Reardon, 59, of Millis pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure a person, and one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce, according to the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
“John Reardon now stands convicted of inflicting terror on the greater Boston Jewish community by threatening violence against fellow residents of Massachusetts solely because of their Jewish faith,” Levy said in a statement. “This insidious, pernicious conduct 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.”
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Prosecutors said that, on Jan. 25, Reardon called a synagogue in Attleboro and left a message that included threats of violence. Ten minutes later, they said he left a voicemail at Congregation Agudas Achim in Sharon that also included violent threats.
He was arrested and charged in January. Prosecutors said during the ensuing investigation, officials learned Reardon called the Israeli Consulate in Boston 98 times between Oct. 7, 2023 and Jan. 29.
Many of those calls were made to harass and intimidate, prosecutors said.
“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 in a statement. “No person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence.”
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Reardon is facing up to 20 years in prison for the charge of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force. That is the longest potential sentence among the charges he has admitted to, officials said.
A sentencing hearing will take place at a later date, Levy’s office said.
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