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Mass. man sentenced to prison for obstructing hate crime investigation

BOSTON (WWLP) – A Quincy man was sentenced to federal court on Tuesday in connection with the obstruction of a federal hate crimes investigation in 2019. Alexander Giannakakis, 37, went to Sweden following the crimes he had been charged with, and he was captured and extradited to the United States before his sentencing. Charging documents state that around February 2020, Giannakakis' younger brother was the prime suspect connected to four fires set at Jewish institutions in the Boston area. Southwick police looking to find driver who hit a bicyclist on North Loomis Street The first fire was set on May 11, 2019, at a Chabad Center in Arlington, and the same location was targeted on May 16, 2019. A third fire was set at a Chabad Center in Needham, and on May 26, 2019, a fire was started at a Jewish-affiliated business in Chelsea. When Giannakakis' brother was identified as a suspect, he was hospitalized in a coma and remained comatose until passing away later in the year. During the time his brother was suspected, Giannakakis left the U.S. for Sweden where he was residing at the time, and took with him his brother's documents and electronic devices. Upon his return to the United States in March 2020, Giannakakis was questioned by investigators about his brother's connection to the fires and was alleged to have made false and misleading statements. He later hid and destroyed evidence that would implicate his brother in the arsons. Within hours of destroying the evidence, Giannakakis flew to Sweden and remained there until he was arrested by Swedish authorities in February 2022. In November 2024, Giannakakis pleaded guilty to concealing records in a federal investigation, tampering with documents and objects, and tampering with an official proceeding. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.