Alaska Man Indicted Over Supreme Court Assassination Threats
.Today, the Department of Justice announced the indictment of Alaska man Panos Anastasiou on nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce. According to the indictment, Anastasiou engaged in a 17-month campaign of threats towards six Supreme Court justices and two members of their families. (The specific justices and family members threatened were unidentified by the DOJ.) The defendant sent 465 messages through a public website filled with vile rhetoric — as described by the indictment, “violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric coupled with threats of assassination via torture, hanging, and firearms, and encouraged others to participate in the acts of violence.”
Anastasiou threatened to murder one justice by “providing the rope” to “hang[]…from an Oak tree.” Anastasiou threatened to kill another justice by “putting a bullet in his […] head.” All told, he’s alleged to have threatened to “assault, kidnap, and murder” six different justices.
“We allege that the defendant made repeated, heinous threats to murder and torture Supreme Court Justices and their families to retaliate against them for decisions he disagreed with,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear. Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families.”
If convicted, Anastaiou faces 10 years for each count of making threats against a federal judge and five for each count of making threats in interstate commerce.
