An Alaskan man will plead guilty to felony charges alleging he threatened to assault and murder six U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Panos Anastasiou, 77, of Alaska, agreed to plead guilty to a threats charge for sending more than 500 messages between 2023 and 2024 that targeted Supreme Court justices and two of their family members.
Federal prosecutors stated that the communications included violent, racist, homophobic rhetoric, as well as explicit threats of assassination, torture, hanging, and references to firearm use. Anastasiou also faces a charge for unlawfully possessing a firearm due to a prior 1991 felony conviction.
Court documents indicate that federal prosecutors recommend probation and home confinement for Anastasiou, citing his advanced age and health conditions including dementia and a history of throat cancer.
The charges were filed in 2024. A specific message sent on July 5, 2024, used a racist slur against Justice Clarence Thomas and called for the assassination of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. In that message, Anastasiou wrote: “Every American should volunteer to ASSASSINATE not just Trump but the 6 corrupt unelected scumbags and whoever stands in the way.”
The message was sent days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling on July 1, 2024, granting President Donald Trump substantial criminal immunity for actions taken while in office.