In an astonishing case of leftist crime, a 76-year-old Democrat donor from Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested and indicted on federal charges after he allegedly sent over 465 threatening messages to six U.S. Supreme Court justices and their families, with the man’s actions causing him to rack up 22 charges, including nine for threatening federal judges and 13 for making threats in interstate commerce.
For context, Panos Anastasiou, who reportedly donated to leftist causes and Democrat candidates dozens of times, was arrested on September 19, 2024, based on messages that he sent through a Supreme Court-run website that included death threats, expressed intent to torture the justices, and used slurs. According to press accounts, the prosecutors in charge of the case did not specify which judges Anastasiou was threatening to harm in his messages.
In a statement released by the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland provided more details on the charges pressed against Anastasiou, saying, “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.”
Continuing, Attorney General Garland explained how death threats like those sent by Anastasiou can disrupt the justice system and impede judicial decision-making, saying, “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.”
Furthermore, in a separate press release from the DOJ, a department representative added that Anastasiou made an initial appearance before a U.S. District Court of Alaska judge on September 18, 2024, and that he would face “up to 10 years in prison for each count of making threats against a federal judge, along with up to five years in prison for each count of making threats in interstate commerce,” adding up to well beyond a life sentence.
In addition, court documents released by the United States District Court for the District of Alaska detailed the specifics of Anastasiou’s threats against the Supreme Court justices. The documents revealed that the threats were “intended to intimidate Supreme Court Justices 1-6 and retaliate against them for official actions Supreme Court Justices 1-6 had taken in their official capacity as federal judges.”
Following Anastasiou’s arrest, an X user with the handle Rob Pyers shared an FEC ledger, which revealed that the 76-year-old had made dozens of donations to ActBlue, a major fundraising platform for Democratic candidates. In total, Anastasiou donated to ActBlue in 82 small increments, starting in 2016 and ending in 2021.
In response to the revelation that Anastasiou was a frequent ActBlue donor, conservatives sounded off on Twitter, with the user KenWNichols sarcastically writing, “I assume that the FBI still can’t identify a motive?” Another user added, “Gotta love these peace-loving, woke liberals.”
Featured image credit: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (supremecourthistory.org)