SC man pleads guilty to threatening federal prosecutor over Proud Boys leader
A Lexington County man suspected of involvement with the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges related to threatening messages he left a prosecutor, warning her she could be harmed if something happened to a Proud Boys leader.
James Giannakos of Gilbert pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Columbia to making threatening phone calls to a former assistant U.S. attorney. The plea means Giannakos could face up to five years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine, although Judge Terry Wooten did not impose sentence on Friday.
It also means Giannakos must cooperate with federal prosecutors on any other criminal cases he may have knowledge about, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this year.
Giannakos came to the attention of S.C. federal authorities in January when a former federal prosecutor in Florida began receiving threatening emails and voice mails on office telephones at her law firm offices, according to court records.
That former prosecutor had been recently cited in news stories as having identified in a court case Enrique Tarrio, the purported leader of the Proud Boys, as having once been an informant for Florida federal authorities.
“Miss (name of former prosecutor redacted), my name’s James. I just wanted you to know that if anything happens to Mr. Enrique Tarrio, the same thing will happen to you and your family. I cannot believe you released the CI (confidential informant) information, if that’s even true. If anything happens to him, I promise you and your associates will pay for it. You will be held responsible,” said one message left by Giannakos, according to a criminal charging document filed in federal court in Columbia.
In court Friday, Giannakos told the judge he was upset by Tarrio being identified as a confidential informant because his own family member had been killed and he was told an informant was working with law enforcement on his family member’s case. He believed the information becoming public could put Tarrio in danger, Giannakos’ attorney Allen Burnside told the court.
The Proud Boys are “an extremist right-wing group that has gained a reputation for leading protests that have often turned violent in cities such as Washington DC and Portland, Ore.,” court records in this case say. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim May described the group as a “neo-fascist” organization in court Friday.
The telephone used by Giannakos to make that call was traced to a South Carolina telephone at the house where Giannakos lived in Gilbert, records said.
A search of Giannakos’ Lexington County home led to the recovery of a Capitol police shield, a police body camera and an officer’s helmet, May said, leading investigators to suspect he was involved in the Jan. 6 attack in Washington when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol while Congress was meeting to formalize Trump’s election loss to President Joe Biden.
Five people died in that assault, including a Capitol police officer.
The search of his home also uncovered guns, pepper spray, a Washington subway map, a 24-inch police baton and military combat gear including a tactical vest, knee pads and eye protection, according to the search warrant return.
Records show Giannakos is also being investigated in connection with the riot for possible charges of assaulting a federal agent, conspiracy to assault federal agents, theft of government property and interstate travel to participate in a riot.
Federal prosecutors have not announced any charges tied to that investigation. Charges connected to the Jan. 6 riot are being handled by the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C.
Burnside, Giannakos’ federal public defender, said his client had not previously been a political person, but that he began following the 2020 election last year during the pandemic lockdown. He encountered the Proud Boys through online chat rooms and had seen Tarrio speak, although Burnside said he does not know the Proud Boys leader personally.
Giannakos, who is currently being held in the Lexington County Detention Center, said he left the threatening message and apologized for his actions.
May said Giannakos made multiple calls to at least four different offices of the law firm the former Florida prosecutor now works for, leaving similarly threatening messages at each one. May said Giannakos appeared to blame her for released the information about Tarrio, although May said reporters found out about Tarrio’s informant work through publicly available records and the attorney had simply confirmed that information in media reports.
