A local man who threatened to kill Jewish people and bomb synagogues is facing years behind bars.

Millis man John Reardon, 60, was sentenced on Thursday to 26 months in federal prison — followed by three years of supervised release. Reardon was also ordered to pay $1,260 in restitution to the victims.

Last year, he pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection to an Attleboro synagogue, a Sharon synagogue, and the Israeli Consulate in Boston.

“Our office will aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to terrorize our religious communities,” Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. “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,” Foley added. “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 last year for calling and threatening two synagogues in Massachusetts and their congregants – Agudas Achim Synagogue in Attleboro, and Congregation Etz Chaim in Sharon.

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 said, “Time to prepare the furnaces again. I hope that you people are wiped off the face of the earth.”

Following his arrest, law enforcement learned that Reardon called the Israeli Consulate in Boston 98 times between Oct. 7, 2023 and Jan. 29, 2024, and made harassing and intimidating statements.

For instance, Reardon made a number of antisemitic comments laced with expletives.

Related Articles

ICE Boston will try to deport migrant who allegedly raped woman and threatened to report her to ICE

Boston Police respond to threatening ‘anti-Jewish’ flyers: ‘Deeply troubling’

“What John Reardon did is despicable,” said Ted Docks, special agent in charge of FBI Boston. “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,” he added.

After Reardon pleaded guilty to federal charges last November, he was released on conditions despite the feds’ objections. Then, Reardon violated the conditions of his pre-sentence release.

Specifically, he allegedly called and threatened to harm an employee of RightSpace Self Storage in Upton. Reardon allegedly told the employee he was going to “(expletive) 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 told by the probation office not to do so.