Threatening Jewish Community Center: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty

YOUNGSTOWN, OH — An Ohio man pleaded guilty to threatening a Jewish Community Center this week, the Department of Justice announced.

James P. Reardon, 22, of New Middletown, faced charges of transmitting a threatening communication and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Reardon is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22, 2021. A federal district court judge will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In August 2019, New Middletown police contacted the FBI about a video shared on Instagram. In the video, Reardon holds an assault rifle while audio of gunshots, sirens and people screaming plays in the background, court documents said.

The video was captioned, "Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O'Rearedon," court documents said. The Youngstown Jewish Family Community Center was tagged in the video.

After seeing the video, court documents said, New Middletown police and FBI agents searched Reardon's history. They found videos involving Reardon, including him at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, court document said.

Then, after getting a search warrant, law enforcement searched Reardon's home. They seized several guns, court documents said, including an MP-40 submachine gun, an AR-15 rifle, numerous Nazi World War II propaganda poster, a rifle bayonet, and vintage U.S. military equipment.

Reardon came home while officers were searching his home and he was taken into custody, court documents said.