An Alaskan man has been arrested for allegedly sending violent and threatening messages to six Supreme Court justices. Panos Anastasiou, 76, from Anchorage, is accused of sending more than 465 threatening messages to U.S. Supreme Court justices through the court’s public website from March 2023 to July 2024.
The messages contained violent, racist and homophobic rhetoric, including graphic threats of assassination by torture, hanging and firearms, with an escalation in January 2024.
In court documents, it’s revealed one of the messages said, “I’d like to see [Former President 1 and Supreme Court Justice 1] hanging together from an Oak tree. I’d gladly provide the rope and pull the handle.”
Another message reads, “We should make [Supreme Court Justices 1-6] be AFRAID, very AFRAID to leave their home and fear for their lives everyday.”
The threats also extended to family members of the targeted justices and continued even after FBI intervention, with Anastasiou allegedly daring justices to visit his house.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the severity of the threats and their potential impact on the justice system and democracy, saying public officials need to be able to do their jobs without fear.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, threats against federal judges have more than doubled in recent years. Anastasiou faces 22 counts, including nine for threatening federal judges and 13 for interstate threats. The charges carry up to 155 years in prison.
He pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance in Alaska’s federal court Wednesday, Sept. 18.
