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Hampden County resident John Rathbun, age 37, of East Longmeadow, has been sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised release after being convicted by a federal jury for attempting to bomb the facility on April 2, 2020, and later lying to investigators about his whereabouts that day.
US Attorney Rachael Robbins said that on the morning of April 2, 2020, Rathbun assembled, placed, and lit a homemade firebomb at the driveway entrance of Jewish Geriatric Services Lifecare, a Jewish nursing home complex in Longmeadow.
The device consisted of a five-gallon Scepter fuel canister filled with gasoline and a partially charred wick comprised of pages from a Christian religious pamphlet. The forensic analysis identified Rathbun’s DNA on the canister and pamphlet, she said.
According to prosecutors, during the investigation, on April 15, 2020, Rathbun falsely stated to a federal agent that he was at home on April 2, that he was not familiar with the location on Converse Street where the device was placed, and that he had not possessed or even seen the fuel canister.
“Mr. Rathbun’s hate-filled and ruthless actions put the entire Longmeadow community at risk,” Rollins said. “Today’s sentence sends a powerful message that hate and bigotry have no place in Massachusetts. Everyone deserves to live free of fear and authentically and fully as themselves.”
Specifically, Rathbun was convicted on June 15, 2021, of:
- One count of “attempting to transport or receive explosive devices in interstate or foreign commerce with the knowledge or intent that the device will be used to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle or other real or personal property";
- One count of attempting to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or an explosive, any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property used in interstate or foreign commerce.”
On Nov. 13, 2020, Rathbun was convicted by a separate federal jury of lying to the FBI claiming that he had not left his house on the day of the attempting bombing.
“There is no way to undo the damage John Rathbun did to the elderly residents of this Jewish assisted living facility, and to the entire community, with his hateful, repulsive, and violent behavior. But today’s sentence does hold him accountable for placing a lit firebomb in their path and for lying to us about it,” Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's, Boston Division said.
“Make no mistake, the FBI will use every investigative tool available, along with the expertise and skills of our partners on our Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force to identify, assess, and disrupt threats like this one in order to keep our communities safe.”
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