A Massachusetts man, Alexander Giannakakis, has pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal hate crime investigation linked to a series of arsons at Jewish institutions. Giannakakis, 37, formerly of Quincy, Mass., admitted to charges including concealing records, tampering with documents and objects, and tampering with an official proceeding. Sentencing is set for March 11, 2025, according to theUnited States Attorney’s Officeannouncement.
After being indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2022 and subsequently extradited from Sweden in February 2024, Giannakakis accepted responsibility for his efforts to hinder the inquiry into the 2019 fires set at Jewish locales in Arlington, Needham, and Chelsea; this string of events sent shockwaves of terror throughout the Boston Jewish community, and now with the dust settled the force of law is coming into full effect. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy stated, “We must be vigilant in holding accountable every single person who engages in or facilitates acts of hate like this,” as per theUnited States Attorney’s Office. Capturing the importance of a rigorous pursuit of justice against the backdrop of such heinous acts.
FBI’s Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen emphasized the severity of obstructing investigations in her statement, saying, “Fire is a dangerous and indiscriminate weapon one that we believe Alexander Giannakakis brother used to express his hatred for Jewish people four times” and pointing out the critical nature of maintaining the integrity of the investigative process, according to theUnited States Attorney’s Office.
Giannakakis was accused of covering for his brother, who was the prime suspect in the arson cases before his hospitalization in a coma, and subsequent death, by lying to investigators and destroying evidence implicating his sibling; he fled to Sweden only to be arrested and extradited back to the United States to face these charges. Each charge against Giannakakis carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and heavy fines, underscoring the weight of his actions obstructing the federal investigation into acts understood as domestic terrorism with their roots deep in hate.
Numerous agencies, local and international, collaborated in the case, including the FBI, local Massachusetts police departments, the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal, and Swedish authorities. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys of the Office s National Security Unit, with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs playing a crucial role in ensuring Giannakakis’s return to the U.S. for trial.
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