CLEVELAND, Ohio - A New Middletown man has been sentenced in connection to threats made against the Youngstown Jewish Community Center.

22-year-old James Reardon pleaded guilty to charges of transmitting a threatening communication and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime back in May.

Reardon appeared in a federal courtroom in Cleveland Wednesday morning and was handed a 41-month prison sentence.

After being released from prison, Reardon will be on supervised release for five years.

The incident involving Reardon happened in the summer of 2019 after the FBI, Youngstown and New Middletown police investigated and arrested him.

Police began the investigation after Reardon allegedly posted a video on Instagram showing him firing multiple rounds. The caption under the post read "Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as white nationalist Seamus O'Reardon," leading to his arrest.

Several agencies then searched Reardon's mother's home on Eastwood Drive and confiscated two AR-15's, a rifle with a bayonet, a 40 caliber anti-tank gun and knives.

A 2017 YouTube video and interview from the Charlottesville white supremacist rally in Virginia, shows Reardon answering a question. In the video, Reardon claimed that he is a white nationalist and wants a homeland for white people.

Increased security was added to Jewish sites in the Youngstown area once they were made aware of the threats.

Youngstown Area Jewish Federation CEO Andrew Lipkin released the following statement regarding Reardon's sentencing:

We are thankful this is a case where everything went right. While Mr. Reardon was successful in terrorizing our community, we are extremely fortunate that the legal consequences of his actions took place before an actual act of violence from which there could have been no recovery.

However, the threats posed to the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown were traumatic to not only staff, members, and guests, but to the entire Jewish community. The JCC is the most visible and most visited agency of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, and serves as the hub of the Valley’s Jewish life as well as the corporate offices of the Federation.

Words, particularly hateful words, matter, and Mr. Reardon’s shattered our communal security. With this sentence, we are hopeful our community can begin to heal.

We are also hopeful that he now understands why the spread of threatening messages of hate is so dangerous and could lead to deadly outcomes. Upon his release, we encourage him to become a productive member of society.

The outpouring of support throughout this ordeal from the community, locally, statewide, and nationally, is greatly appreciated. We are grateful to the local FBI and law enforcement for their swift and strong response to this matter and for their continued willingness to keep the lines of communication open at all times. We are also grateful the legal process worked as it should.