Man Charged with Repeatedly Threatening to Kill Certain Supreme Court Justices
An Alaska man, Panos Anastasiou, aged 76, has been indicted on federal charges for sending over 465 graphic threats to harm and kill six Supreme Court justices and their family members. The threats, sent via a public court website, included violent messages paired with racist and homophobic language. Although the specific justices targeted have not been disclosed, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland noted that the threats stemmed from Anastasiou’s dissatisfaction with certain court decisions. Anastasiou faces 22 counts in total, including making threats against federal judges, with potential prison sentences of up to 10 years per count for federal judges and 5 years for interstate threats. His arrest in Anchorage marks a significant case amid a rise in threats against public officials, including previous incidents involving justices.
An Alaska man accused of sending graphic threats to injure and kill six Supreme Court justices and some of their family members has been indicted on federal charges, authorities said Thursday.
Panos Anastasiou, 76, is accused of sending more than 465 messages through a public court website, including graphic threats of assassination and torture coupled with racist and homophobic rhetoric.
The indictment does not specify which justices Anastasiou targeted, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said he made the graphic threats as retaliation for decisions he disagreed with. The court currently consists of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three appointed by Democrats.
“Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families,” he said.
Prosecutors said in an indictment filed Wednesday that the messages were sent between March 2023 and mid-July 2024. Anastasiou has been charged with 22 counts, including nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce.
Anastasiou was arrested Wednesday in Anchorage. Defense attorney Jane Imholte, declined to comment and publicly listed phone numbers for Anastasiou were disconnected.
He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count of making threats against a federal judge and up to five years for each count of making threats in interstate commerce if convicted.
Threats targeting federal judges overall have more than doubled in recent years amid a surge of similar violent messages directed at public officials around the country, the U.S. Marshals Service previously said.
In 2022, shortly after the leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a man was stopped near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh with weapons and zip ties.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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