Democratic Donor Arrested After Threatening to Kill Multiple Supreme Court Justices
An Alaska man was arrested on Wednesday after reportedly threatening to assassinate six Supreme Court Justices and two family members.
Panos Anastasiou has been charged with nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce, The Post Millennial reports.
The 76-year-old allegedly sent over 465 text messages between March 10, 2023 and July 16, 2024 through an online portal to the Supreme Court.
Anastasiou “began sending messages intended to threaten harm and convey threats of harm towards Supreme Court Justices 1- 6 and Family Members 1 and 2” starting on Jan. 4, according to a court filing.
He also donated to ActBlue, the Democratic donation platform, over a dozen times since July 2023, giving over $700. He has made 82 donations since Dec. 2016.
The messages were filled with “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.”
Some of the threats geared towards the justices, who were not named, were meant to “intimidate” and “retaliate against them for official actions Supreme Court Justices 1-6 had taken in their official capacity as federal judges.”
Anastasiou allegedly threatened to murder Supreme Court Justice 1 in one message. He wrote that he would provide “the rope” to “hang … from an Oak tree.” In a separate message sent on May 10, 2024, he threatened to kill the justice via “lynching.”
In another message sent on May 16, 2024, he reportedly threatened to murder Supreme Court Justice 2 by “putting a bullet in his … head.”
In a message sent the following day, Anastasiou targeted Justices 1 and 2 and Family Members 1 and 2 by threatening to send “fellow veterans” to “spray” their residences with bullets, “hopefully killing” them.
In previous messages over the past few months, Anastasiou reportedly threatened to assassinate the Justices by various means, including drowning, beheading and shooting.
Attorney General Merrick Garland responded to the incident in a press release, which stated that judges should be able to base their decisions on the law, not fear.
“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,” he wrote. “
“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.”
Anastasiou could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count related to threats against a federal judge and up to five years for each count of making threats through interstate commerce if convicted.
The party of joy?
Panos Anastasiou has been charged with nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce, The Post Millennial reports.
The 76-year-old allegedly sent over 465 text messages between March 10, 2023 and July 16, 2024 through an online portal to the Supreme Court.
Anastasiou “began sending messages intended to threaten harm and convey threats of harm towards Supreme Court Justices 1- 6 and Family Members 1 and 2” starting on Jan. 4, according to a court filing.
He also donated to ActBlue, the Democratic donation platform, over a dozen times since July 2023, giving over $700. He has made 82 donations since Dec. 2016.
The messages were filled with “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.”
Some of the threats geared towards the justices, who were not named, were meant to “intimidate” and “retaliate against them for official actions Supreme Court Justices 1-6 had taken in their official capacity as federal judges.”
Anastasiou allegedly threatened to murder Supreme Court Justice 1 in one message. He wrote that he would provide “the rope” to “hang … from an Oak tree.” In a separate message sent on May 10, 2024, he threatened to kill the justice via “lynching.”
In another message sent on May 16, 2024, he reportedly threatened to murder Supreme Court Justice 2 by “putting a bullet in his … head.”
In a message sent the following day, Anastasiou targeted Justices 1 and 2 and Family Members 1 and 2 by threatening to send “fellow veterans” to “spray” their residences with bullets, “hopefully killing” them.
In previous messages over the past few months, Anastasiou reportedly threatened to assassinate the Justices by various means, including drowning, beheading and shooting.
Attorney General Merrick Garland responded to the incident in a press release, which stated that judges should be able to base their decisions on the law, not fear.
“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,” he wrote. “
“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.”
Anastasiou could face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count related to threats against a federal judge and up to five years for each count of making threats through interstate commerce if convicted.
The party of joy?
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