An Alaska resident, Panos Anastasiou, has been indicted by the US District Court for the District of Alaska on charges of sending death threats to six US Supreme Court justices and their families.
The indictment, filed on Wednesday, details that Anastasiou allegedly sent violent threats between Jan. 4, 2024, and July 11, 2024, through the Supreme Court’s publicly accessible website.
According to the indictment, Anastasiou’s messages included threats to “assault, kidnap, and murder” the justices, using violent, racist, and homophobic language.
These threats reportedly involved graphic details of assassination methods, such as torture, firearms, and hanging.
He also encouraged others to participate in these acts of violence, including threats against the justices’ relatives, with descriptions of murder by drowning, beheading, and sending “fellow veterans” to shoot at their homes.
The indictment lists a total of nine felony counts for threats against a federal judge and 13 counts for threats in interstate commerce.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland commented on the case in a press release, stating:
“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 on all charges, Anastasiou faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the nine counts against federal judges, alongside a potential fine of $250,000 per count.
Additionally, the 13 counts of threats in interstate commerce carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison per count, each accompanied by a $250,000 fine.
