A Millis, Massachusetts man has been sentenced to over two years in prison for threatening violence against members of the Jewish community and bomb threats directed at synagogues. John Reardon, 60, received a sentence of 26 months in prison and three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick. He was also ordered to pay $1,260 in restitution to his victims.
Reardon pleaded guilty in November 2024 to three charges: obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force related to an Attleboro synagogue; transmitting a threat to injure a person regarding a Sharon synagogue; and stalking using interstate communications targeting the Israeli Consulate in Boston.
According to federal authorities, Reardon was arrested and charged in January 2024 after making threatening phone calls to Agudas Achim Synagogue in Attleboro and Congregation Etz Chaim in Sharon. His statements included bomb threats and violent antisemitic language targeting Jewish congregants.
Law enforcement later determined that between October 7, 2023, and January 29, 2024, Reardon made nearly one hundred harassing calls to the Israeli Consulate in Boston. These calls contained repeated antisemitic insults and threats.
Following his guilty plea, Reardon was released on certain conditions despite objections from prosecutors. According to court filings, he violated those conditions by allegedly threatening an employee at RightSpace Self Storage in Upton on two occasions in February 2025. State charges for these alleged offenses are still pending.
“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,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.
“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,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “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.”
The investigation involved assistance from several local law enforcement agencies including police departments from Attleboro, Upton and Wrentham; Massachusetts State Police; Bristol County District Attorney’s Office; and Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings prosecuted the case.
