U.S. Attorney Recommends House Arrest, No Jail Time for Men in HMS Explosion

Federal prosecutors did not recommend jail time for the two men who pleaded guilty in connection with an explosion inside a Harvard Medical School building in November, instead recommending three years of probation, including six months of house arrest.

The two — Logan D. Patterson and Dominick F. Cardoza, who were 18 and 20 years old at the time — each pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiring to damage a building by means of fire and an explosive. They are set to be sentenced by a federal judge on Oct. 1.

In a sentencing recommendation filed Wednesday, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley wrote that the incident did not constitute jail time, but emphasized a need for deterrence of future reckless actions.

“The government respectfully submits that the nature and circumstances of the offense and the defendant’s personal history and characteristics do not merit a sentence of incarceration.

However, the need to deter similar conduct justifies some meaningful deprivation of the defendant’s liberty,” prosecutors wrote.

The charges stem from a Nov. 1 explosion on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building at approximately 2:45 a.m., which drew a response from federal and local law enforcement. The two were arrested days later, and prosecutors said the pair detonated a large commercial firework inside a wooden locker in a fourth-floor research laboratory.

While the charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors recommended $28,517.70 in restitution to HMS for the damages, calling the offense “thoughtless rather than calculated” in the Wednesday filing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the sentencing recommendations or how the restitution amount was calculated.

Cardoza’s attorney, Stefan J. Rozembersky, filed a sentencing recommendation on his behalf on Tuesday, arguing that the November night’s “heavily misguided mischief” did not deserve to result in incarceration or home detention, while agreeing to three years of probation.

Rozembersky’s recommendation echoed much of the government’s, but the two sides split over whether Cardoza should face home detention. While prosecutors wrote that the offense did not merit incarceration, they recommended six months of home detention as a way to deter similar conduct.

But Rozembersky argued that “three years of probation is sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing.” He focused on Cardoza’s youth, steady job history, and strong family support — arguing that his client should avoid further punishment outside of probation.

“If he were sent to prison, all of Mr. Cardoza’s hard work and positive efforts would be for naught. This Court has an opportunity in this case to allow this young man to grow personally and continue to improvise his life,” Rozembersky wrote.

Patterson’s lawyer, Kevin J. Reddington, has not filed a sentencing memorandum and did not reply to a request for comment. Prosecutors filed their sentencing recommendation for Cardoza on Aug. 29, while their recommendation for Patterson was not filed until Wednesday — two weeks ahead of sentencing.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.