Alexander Giannakakis, extradited from Sweden last year, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for obstructing an FBI investigation into arson attacks targeting Jewish institutions in the Boston area, the US Justice Department announced Tuesday, according to JNS.
The 37-year-old Quincy, Massachusetts, resident pleaded guilty in November to charges related to blocking the probe. In addition to his prison term, he will serve three years of supervised release. Giannakakis initially faced up to 60 years in prison, along with a $250,000 fine.
The case stems from a series of attacks in May 2019 when Giannakakis’s younger brother—whose name was not disclosed by the Justice Department—was accused of setting fires at two Chabad centers and a Jewish-affiliated business in the Boston area.
Following his brother’s identification as a suspect in 2020, Giannakakis fled to Sweden, taking with him his brother’s electronic devices and documents. He later admitted to destroying evidence that could have implicated his brother.
At the time, his brother was hospitalized in a coma and passed away later that year.
“With today’s sentence, Alexander Giannakakis learned the hard way that the family ties that bind you together can also land you in federal prison,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division.
Giannakakis “destroyed evidence and obstructed the FBI’s investigation into his brother’s acts of domestic terrorism that sent shockwaves of fear throughout the Jewish community,” Cohen continued. “Instead of doing what was right and calling out his brother’s vile conduct, Mr. Giannakakis tried to cover for him. Anyone who thinks they can lie to us and get away with it should think twice.”