A Millis, Massachusetts man faces federal charges after allegedly threatening to kill Jewish community members and bomb synagogues.
The U.S. Department of Justice said 59-year-old John Reardon faces one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to threaten or harm a person or place with an explosive.
"The allegations here about the series of threats Mr. Reardon made against the Jewish community are deeply disturbing and reflect the increasing torrent of antisemitism across our country and right here in Massachusetts," Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said. "The numbers do not lie – incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia are spiking. We will continue to work every day with our federal, state and local partners to track down people who allegedly engage in such hateful conduct."
According to the allegations, Reardon called the Congregation Agudas Achim, a synagogue in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Jan. 25, 2024 and left a voicemail with several antisemitic statements.
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"You do realize that by supporting genocide that means it’s ok for people to commit genocide against you," Reardon allegedly said. "With supporting the killing of innocent little children, that means it’s OK to kill your children."
The DOJ said Reardon also said things like, "From the river to the sea," "People are going to use your logic against you, you stupid f**ks," "Guess what? We are going to use your logic —if you can kill the Palestinians, we can kill you," "If you can bomb their f**king places of worship we can bomb yours, if you can kill their children we can kill yours," "You people need to stop the f**king genocide," "You people need to stop the f**king genocide," "I supported Jewish people though. Not anymore. A matter of fact I think we should kill you(s) all," and "Have a lousy day and oh don't be surprised if there's pig blood on your steps tomorrow."
After leaving the message for the Congregation Agudas Achim, the DOJ alleged, Reardon called another synagogue in the area and a local Jewish organization.
Shortly after the calls were made, Reardon was arrested by local law enforcement.
"John Reardon is accused of using his words as a weapon, leaving a threatening message to frighten members of the Congregation Agudas Achim," Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. "No one should have to fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger. While the FBI does not and will not police ideology, we take all threats to life seriously, and so should anyone thinking about making one."
If convicted, Reardon could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison with three years of supervised release. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.
