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 Sept. 19.
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.
Anastasiou appeared in federal court in Anchorage on Sept. 18 and pleaded not guilty. He was assigned a federal public defender.
A federal magistrate judge in a Sept. 19 hearing ordered Anastasiou released as long as he follows a series of conditions including remaining in Anchorage, GPS monitoring, not contacting the people he has threatened or possessing any devices with internet access that can send messages.
A search of Anastasiou’s home last week turned up ammunition and a handgun that it’s illegal for him to own because he is a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Anastasiou pleaded guilty more than 30 years ago to federal charges tied to distribution of cocaine, tax evasion and falsely reporting his income.
Last week’s indictment does not specify which Supreme Court justices Anastasiou targeted, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said he made the graphic threats as retaliation for decisions he disagreed with.
“Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families,” Garland said.
Prosecutors said in the indictment 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.
After the agents contacted Anastasiou in 2023, he sent another message to the Supreme Court referencing the interview and “‘daring’ the justices to personally visit his house,” according to a memorandum from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
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.
A sign hanging Sept. 19 above the door of a single-story home listed in Anchorage municipal records as belonging to Anastasious featured an image of a gun and said, “I don’t call 911.”
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.
In Alaska, a Delta Junction man was sentenced to 32 months in prison and a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty to federal charges he threatened to murder U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
The Anchorage Daily News contributed reporting for this story.
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