Panos Anastasiou, a 76-year-old Alaska man, arrested Wednesday for threatening to injure and kill six Supreme Court justices, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, has donated more than $700 to Democrats over the past eight years.
In a filing released Wednesday, the Justice Department said Anastasiou sent “over 465 messages to the Supreme Court via an online portal” that were “intended to harm and convey threats of harm” toward six justices and two of their family members. The justices who were threatened were not identified, and nine Justices sit on the High Court.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts (L), along with Associate Justices (L-R) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson (back) stand in the House of Representatives ahead of US President Joe Biden’s third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2024. An Alaska man charged with threatening to kill six Supreme Court justices donated dozens of times to ActBlue, a pro-Democrat PAC.
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The messages, which were sent between March 10, 2023, and July 16, 2024, reportedly 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 the Department of Justice’s press release and the court filing, the messages escalated in violent imagery starting on January 4, 2024, when he sent a threat to murder “Supreme Court Justice 1 by ‘providing the rope’ to ‘hang[]…from an Oak tree.’” Anastasiou also threatened Justice and Justice 2 to send “‘fellow veterans’ to ‘spray’ their homes with bullets ‘hopefully killing’ them,” the court documents say.
On Wednesday, Anastasiou pleaded not guilty to 22 charges—nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce. The Justice Department noted in a press release that, if convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison per count of threatening a judge and up to five years per count of making threats in interstate commerce.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday, “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.”
Newsweek reached out to Assistant U.S. Attorney William Taylor for comment via email. Newsweek sent an email to Anastasiou for comment.
Anastasiou has no public party voter registration, according to records obtained by Newsweek. However, according to the Federal Election Commission, he has donated $786 through ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democratic candidates. The most recent donation was on July 25. On March 8, he donated his highest amount of $50.
According to Lexis records obtained by Newsweek, Anastasiou previously lived in Seattle, Washington and Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as Anchorage, Alaska. In 2013, he reportedly faced a misdemeanor theft charge in Texas that was dismissed.
Anastasiou’s threat comes amid a rise in threats and violent attempts on various officials’ lives, including the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday. In 2022, a man was arrested for attempting to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after being found near Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland with a firearm, a knife and zip ties.
Correction 9/20/24, 1:38 p.m. ET: This article was corrected to say “through” ActBlue, as it is the platform that processes donations.
Update 9/18/24, 2:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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