A Millis, Mass. man was sentenced for threatening to kill members of the Jewish community and bomb Jewish synagogues.
John Reardon, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 26 months prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Reardon was also ordered to pay $1,260 in restitution to the victims. In November 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force in relation to an Attleboro synagogue; one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure a person in relation to a Sharon synagogue; and one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce in relation to the Israeli Consulate in Boston.
The U.S. doesn't tolerate violent threats, said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.
“Our office will aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to terrorize our religious communities. All Americans have the right to worship freely and without fear – it is a founding principle of our nation," Foley said in a statement. "Jewish people, in particular, have been targeted and persecuted for centuries, and in recent years we have seen a deeply troubling rise in antisemitic threats and violence. Let me be clear: we will not tolerate such conduct – not against the Jewish community, nor against any faith community. Such vile, hate-driven acts will be met with serious and swift consequences, and we will use every tool we have to hold offenders accountable,"
Reardon was initially arrested and charged in January 2024 for calling and threatening two synagogues in Massachusetts and their congregates – the Agudas Achim Synagogue in Attleboro, Mass. and the Congregation Etz Chaim in Sharon, Mass.
Reardon’s threats to the synagogues included threats to bomb Jewish houses of worship, as well as threats to kill all Jewish people and stomp Jewish babies dead into the ground, among other violent and antisemitic statements. Reardon also stated, “Time to prepare the furnaces again. I hope that you people are wiped off the face of the earth.”
Reardon will be held accountable, said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.
“What John Reardon did is despicable. Spurred by deep-rooted hate, he relentlessly threatened violent, physical harm to members of the Jewish community in greater Boston, spanning two congregations in two different cities, as well as the Israeli consulate,” Docks said. “This sentence holds him accountable for his insidious crimes and should be a warning to others: the FBI takes all threats to life seriously and so should anyone thinking about making one. Don’t.”
Following his arrest, law enforcement learned that, between Oct. 7, 2023 and Jan. 29, 2024, Reardon called the Israeli Consulate in Boston 98 times and made harassing and intimidating statements. In his phone calls to the Israeli Consulate, Reardon made a number of antisemitic comments laced with expletives that included: “You are maggots, you are scum, you are below animals, you Israelis”; “You f*****g k***s. You stupid mother f*****g killing kids….F**k you Jewland”; and “Death to Israel, wipe the Jews.”
After Reardon pled guilty to federal charges in November 2024, he was released on conditions despite the government’s objections and motion to detain him pending sentencing.
Court filing say that Reardon violated the conditions of his pre-sentence release. Specifically, on or about Feb. 5, 2025 and Feb. 12, 2025, Reardon allegedly called and threatened to harm an employee of RightSpace Self Storage in Upton, Mass. Reardon allegedly told the employee he was going to “f**k him up” and threatened to blow up the facility.
State charges for these alleged crimes remain pending. Reardon also allegedly contacted the storage facility again after being instructed by the probation office not to do so.
U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Attleboro, Upton and Wrentham Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; Bristol County District Attorney’s Office; and Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.
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