History of Unlawful Conduct and Acts of Violence

In addition to his unlawful copyright activities, Panoussis’s history demonstrates a disrespect of the law and a potential for violence.

Panoussis arrived in Sweden in the late 1970s. He studied law at Stockholm University, but quit before completing his degree. He then appeared to drift from job to job without direction. At one point he served as a spokesperson for a group called the Anti-Olympic Committee. This group supported certain bombings that were staged in an effort to sabotage Sweden’s plans to host the Olympics.

In 1978, Panoussis was convicted for theft. In mid 1992 he acted as a legal advisor in a dispute between a brother and sister over an apartment. In a unique display of problem-solving,

Panoussis attacked the front door of one of the parties with an axe, after warning the person inside that he had “30 seconds to open the door”.

In 1993, after an argument, Panoussis followed a man and his girlfriend home then attempted to run them over with his vehicle. After one failed attempt, Panoussis reversed the car and tried to hit them again. The man survived by jumping out of the path of the vehicle.

Nor are courts immune from Pannoussis’s irrational displays. In a letter from April 1996, Panoussis stated to a court in Sweden:

“If I lose my temper I may shoot him[referring to the other party in the case] in the head and spend the rest of my life in a mental institution.”

Prior to leaving Sweden for Holland in December 1997, he was declared bankrupt with more than 300,000 Swedish Kroner in debts.