Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite). Inset: A home owned by Panos Anastasiou, who has been charged in federal court for allegedly sending graphic threats to U.S. Supreme Court justices and their families, is shown in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
A 76-year-old man from Alaska has been arrested for threatening to kill, drown, torture and lynch six Supreme Court justices and two of their family members. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the man’s, “racist, homophobic, vile rhetoric” was meant to intimidate the justices and retaliate against them for their actions on the bench.
Panos Anastasiou, a Greek-born man who came to Alaska in 1957, was indicted on 22 charges by an Alaska grand jury Tuesday and arrested Wednesday at his home in Spenard, Alaska.
According to prosecutors, Anastasiou sent more than 465 threatening messages to six justices through the Supreme Court’s public website from March 10, 2023 to July 16, 2024. The justices themselves were not named in the indictment, which said that the messages, “contained 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.”
According to DOJ filings, a Jan. 4, 2024 message 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, on May 10, 2024, said, “I’d like to see you have a real lynching and I’ll donate the tree and pull the lever … you worthless piece of n—– s—.”
A May 16, 2024, message was referenced saying Anastasiou, “would have had NO reservations about walking up to [Supreme Court Justice 2] and not asking him to take it down but to put a BULLET in this mother f—-s head.”
On May 17, 2024, a message said:
“I’m going to call and urge my fellow Vietnam veterans … to drive by the [Supreme Court Justice 2]’s house with their AR15’s and when f—ing [Supreme Court Justice 2] and his f—ing PIECE OF S— C— WIFE are HOME spray the home of these disrespectful mother f——s with hundreds of rounds … hopefully killing these SCUMBAG C——-ERS. Hopefully N—– [Supreme Court Justice 1] and his white trailer trash n—– loving insurrectionist wife are visiting.”
Another, on June 18, 2024 read:
I don’t want to see these two corrupt mother f—–s assassinated … I’d like to see them TORTURED worse than Kim Jung Un would torture his own family. You know, like putting electrodes up their a– and on their b—s, needles under their finger nails, pulling their teeth with pliers, etc etc. Make these SCUMBAGS beg for their lives.
A July 1, 2024 message called for the “assassinations” of justices as well as of “the CONVICTED CRIMINAL, [Former President 1],” and said that if Anastasiou personally “had the means and way” he would assassinate the targets himself.
“We need to assassinate you f—–s and put your heads on a pike and use them as soccer balls,” the threat continued. “I want to be the first to kick [Supreme Court Justice 6] head down Pennsylvania Ave.”
The DOJ also said that FBI agents in Anchorage contacted Anastasiou to discuss the messages, but if any warnings were issued, they weren’t heeded: Anastasiou later sent another message to the Supreme Court referencing the FBI interview and “daring” the justices to personally visit his home.
Anastasiou pleaded not guilty Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska to nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 155 years in prison.
Anastasiou appeared in court again the next day for a detention hearing. Prosecutors argued that Anastasiou should be kept in jail during the pendency of the case because he has a short temper and a history of threatening people when he is angry.
In a detention memo, prosecutors argued that there is a “serious risk” that Anastasiou would flee, given that, “he has a demonstrated history of disregard for the authority of federal courts and will be unlikely to obey court orders.”
Prosecutors went on to say that Anastasiou has a history of threatening public officials, including a governor. They also noted to the court that Anastasiou, “increased his violent rhetoric even after the FBI visited him at his home,” and said that there are doubts as to whether the man would follow conditions imposed on him by a federal judge.
Public defender Jane Imholte represented Anastasiou. According to reports, Imholte told the court that Anastasiou is a Vietnam veteran who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer and has no financial means other than his Social Security benefits. Imholte also said that her client was worried about his dogs — named Freddie, Buddy, and Cutie Pie — while being detained.
It appears that the defense won out: according to reports, Anastasiou was released from detention late Thursday with a list of conditions, including that he not directly or indirectly contact any of the six Supreme Court justices he allegedly threatened or any of their family members.
According to Anchorage Times, Anastasiou is registered as a nonpartisan voter and has contributed a total of about $800 since 2016 to ActBlue, the Democratic Party fundraising service.
“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 in a statement Thursday. “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.”
Counsel for Anastasiou declined to comment.
In 2022, federal legislation was passed to increase security for Supreme Court justices after a man who had sent threats approached the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh carrying a gun, a knife, and zip ties.
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