BOSTON — Federal court proceedings on Monday ended with the brother of a suspect implicated in four arson incidents targeting Jewish establishments in the Boston area in 2019 admitting guilt for obstructing the investigation.

Alexander Giannakakis, who previously resided in Quincy, Massachusetts, was taken into custody by Swedish officials in 2022 while he was employed in security at the U.S. embassy in Stockholm.

He entered a guilty plea on multiple counts, including concealing evidence from a federal probe, manipulating documents and other items, and interfering with an official proceeding. His sentencing is set for March 11.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy remarked on the case, stating, “Alexander Giannakakis chose to destroy evidence and conceal these hate crimes and for deciding to stand on the side of acts of vile Antisemitism, he now stands convicted and awaiting sentencing. It is incumbent on every person in the District of Massachusetts to call out acts of racism and bigotry, and to report hate crimes.”

The indictment reveals that by February 2020, Giannakakis’ younger brother was identified as a key suspect in the investigation into the series of fires. At the time of the suspicion, his brother was in a coma and unfortunately passed away later that same year.

The arson incidents began with a fire on May 11, 2019, at a Chabad Center in Arlington, followed by another blaze at the same site on May 16. A third fire occurred at a Chabad Center in Needham, with the final incident reported on May 26, at a Jewish-affiliated establishment in Chelsea.

Previously, Giannakakis had faced legal repercussions in Sweden for unlawful possession of a firearm and other weapons, leading to a prison sentence that concluded in December. He was subsequently extradited in February to address the current charges.

Each charge carries severe potential penalties, including up to 20 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release upon completion of the sentence, and a hefty fine of $250,000.

As of now, there has been no response from Giannakakis’ attorney regarding the developments in the case.