By Nate Raymond (NS:RYMD)
BOSTON (Reuters) -A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he threatened to kill Jews and bomb a synagogue in a case that U.S. prosecutors said reflected a growing nationwide torrent of antisemitism after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began last year.
John Reardon, during a hearing in Boston federal court, pleaded guilty to threatening to bomb the Congregation Agudas Achim and threatening to kill children in a voicemail he left with the Attleboro, Massachusetts-based synagogue in January.
"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," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The rising number of threats followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed some 1,200 Israelis and prompted the war in Gaza. Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed more than 44,000 people and displaced nearly all the enclave's population at least once, according to Gaza officials.
Prosecutors said that during his two-minute voicemail, Reardon, 59, said: "you do realize that by supporting genocide that means it's OK for people to commit genocide against you."
Minutes later, Reardon called a different synagogue in Sharon, Massachusetts, and left a voicemail threatening the "killing of all Jews" and "stomping their babies dead into the ground," according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to threat-related charges concerning those calls as well as a stalking charge related to what prosecutors say were 98 calls he placed to the Israeli consulate in Boston starting in October 2023.
Investigators learned about those calls following Reardon's arrest in January. In many of those calls, he made harassing or intimidating statements, prosecutors said.
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to recommend that Reardon, of Millis, Massachusetts, be sentenced to up to 2-1/2 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick set his sentencing for Aug. 14.
Reardon's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.