The US District Court for the District of Alaska has indicted Alaska resident Panos Anastasiou over allegations of sending death threats to Supreme Court justices and their family members. According to official statements, Anastasiou is accused of sending the threats via internet messages through the court’s publicly accessible website from January 4, 2024, to July 11, 2024. The indictment details a range of threats including intentions to “assault, kidnap, and murder” six Justices, utilizing violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric along with threats of assassination by methods such as torture, hanging, and firearms. In some cases, the threats extended to the Justices’ relatives.
This indictment includes nine counts of threatening a federal judge and thirteen counts of making threats in interstate commerce. If Anastasiou is convicted on all counts, he could face up to nine maximum sentences of ten years’ imprisonment and thirteen maximum sentences of five years’ imprisonment, with fines amounting to $250,000 for each count.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized in a press release the importance of a justice system free from fear, 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.”
The full text of the indictment is available for public reference through CourtListener.