Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Millis, Massachusetts man has been sentenced to prison for making threats against members of the Jewish community and synagogues in the state. John Reardon, 60, received a sentence of 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1,260 in restitution to his victims.
Reardon pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count each of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force related to an Attleboro synagogue, transmitting a threat to injure a person connected to a Sharon synagogue, and stalking using interstate communication involving the Israeli Consulate in Boston.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: “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. 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.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division said: “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. 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.”
Authorities initially arrested Reardon in January 2024 after he called two synagogues—Agudas Achim Synagogue in Attleboro and Congregation Etz Chaim in Sharon—and made threats including bombing houses of worship and killing members of the Jewish community with violent language.
Investigators found that between October 7, 2023 and January 29, 2024 Reardon called the Israeli Consulate in Boston nearly one hundred times with harassing statements containing antisemitic language.
After pleading guilty but before sentencing, Reardon was released under certain conditions despite objections from prosecutors. Court records indicate that while on pre-sentence release he allegedly threatened an employee at RightSpace Self Storage in Upton with harm and threatened to blow up the facility; state charges are pending for these alleged actions.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings from the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit with support from local police departments as well as state law enforcement agencies.
