An Alaska man has been indicted for allegedly making hundreds of threats against six members of the Supreme Court, according to the Justice Department, including plans to assassinate the justices.
Prosecutors allege that Panos Anastasiou, 76, sent roughly 450 messages in March 2023 intended for six justices and two of their family members. Beginning in January, the messages started to “convey threats of harm.” The indictment, which was filed Wednesday but announced Thursday, does not name the specific justices or their family members. There are six Republican-appointed justices on the nine-member bench.
Supreme Court officials reviewed the messages in the spring of 2023 and found them concerning enough to bring an investigation, according to a court filing.
A summary of the messages suggested that they 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,” the indictment said.
Security of federal judges has become a heightened issue in recent years as the judiciary has experienced an increased number of threats. In 2022, a 26-year-old from California, Nicholas Roske, was arrested after he admitted he was attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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Roske was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland following the leaked draft opinion that signaled the high court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Although the threatened family members are not known, the spouses of two conservative justices have been the subject of media reports that have criticized the conduct of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
This is a developing story and will be updated.