Profile Text
Birth Name: John Chris Kiriakou
Place of Birth: Sharon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 9, 1964
Ethnicity: Greek
John Kiriakou is an American whistleblower, journalist, and author. He was a CIA officer. He has worked for ABC News and Russian state radio. He was the first U.S. government official to confirm that waterboarding was being used at U.S. sites. He is also known as Yiannis Kyriakou.
John’s parents were elementary school educators. His brother is songwriter, producer, record executive, music publisher, and multi-instrumentalist Emanuel Kiriakou. His paternal grandparents, and maternal grandfather, were from Rhodes, Greece. John was mostly raised in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He has five children.
John’s paternal grandfather was named John C. Kiriakou.
John’s paternal grandmother was named Catherine C. George/Georgiou.
John’s maternal grandfather was named Emanuel T. Chrisopoulos.
John’s maternal grandmother was Erma Pappas (the daughter of Zanetos “John” Papadimitriou/Pappas and Maria Cosmas). Erma was born in West Virginia, to Greek parents.
Source: Obituary of John’s maternal great-uncle – https://www.newspapers.com