Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing faces federal murder, stalking charges
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was read federal charges against him in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday hours after he dropped an extradition fight.
The new charges against Mangione, 26, come on top of the extensive state charges filed against him in New York and Pennsylvania. The charges, announced Thursday by the Department of Justice, open up the possibility that Mangione could receive the death sentence if he is ultimately found guilty of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
New York City Police whisked Mangione to the courthouse in Manhattan after he agreed to return in a brief appearance at a Central Pennsylvania courtroom Thursday. Afterward, police brought him to a plane that flew him to Long Island. A helicopter and then an SUV shuttled him to Manhattan.
"Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight in front of a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country," said Edward Y. Kim, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. "But this wasn’t a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges."
The federal charges unsealed Thursday include murder using a firearm, two counts of stalking and an additional firearms offense. Federal prosecutors say since Mangione "traveled in interstate commerce" by taking a bus from Atlanta to New York before Thompson's killing, they have jurisdiction.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 18.
Mangione's day in court in Manhattan
Mangione sat with his hands in his lap and his ankles shackled for his Manhattan courtroom appearance. He tilted his head from side to side as he listened to the judge read allegations that he stalked Thompson and planned the CEO's murder.
Mangione said he understood the charges. Federal charges could allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, which is off the table in the New York case.
Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said she would not make a statement as she walked out of court after the appearance.
"Mr. Mangione appreciates everyone's support," she told reporters.
The new charges come on top of state counts against Mangione. New York state prosecutors have charged him with one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, including a count of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism, and several weapons charges.
"The federal government's reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns," Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement before the new charges were released. "We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought."
Mangione quits extradition fight
His New York court appearance also came after a brief appearance at a courthouse in Central Pennsylvania where he agreed to be extradited.
Mangione, clean-shaven and wearing an orange jumpsuit, said few words in the brief hearings in the Blair County courthouse in Hollidaysburg. Thomas Dickey, Mangione's lawyer for the Pennsylvania charges, said the extradition order had been customized to ensure his client's rights were protected.
"I am now satisfied that the extradition to New York won't jeopardize anything in Pennsylvania," Dickey said.
Mangione, who is charged with murdering Thompson on Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel, wound up in the Pennsylvania courthouse after being arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a small city about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
He is charged in the state with forgery and illegally possessing an unlicensed gun. Investigators have tied the 3D-printed gun in Mangione's bag at the McDonald's to shell casings found near the scene of the murder in New York.
New Luigi Mangione charges: Suspect is accused of murder, terrorism in 'well-planned' CEO killing
Federal charges bring the possibility of death penalty
While the death penalty is abolished in New York state, the new federal charges put it back on the table as a possible sentence for Mangione.
According to federal prosecutors, the federal charge of using a firearm to commit murder carries a maximum potential sentence of death or life in prison.
Here are the potential maximum sentences for Mangione's other federal charges:
One count of interstate stalking resulting in death: Life in prison
One count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death: Life in prison
One count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 30 years
Here's why Mangione's murder charges include terrorism
Legal experts say the addition of terrorism intent to Mangione's first- and second-degree murder charges makes more work for prosecutors who now have to prove that his motive fits into the New York statute.
Mangione's alleged actions fit the terrorism statute, and the charge is important to send a message to the public that violence is not a solution to ideological disputes, argued Barbara McQuade, a Michigan Law professor and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.
"There are people out there treating this guy as a hero. I think it is important to send a message that he is not a hero. He is not just a murderer; he's a terrorist, allegedly," McQuade told USA TODAY on Thursday.
Terrorism is defined under the statute as an act that aims to:
Intimidate or coerce a civilian population
Influence the policy of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion
Or affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination, or kidnapping
"I think they can make the case that the motive here was to make an example of someone who works in the insurance industry for their practices that harm consumers," McQuade said.
Other experts, and Mangione's defense attorney, think he was "overcharged," which is when prosecutors bring counts that go beyond what the evidence shows. Read more.
— Jeanine Santucci
Crowd at Pennsylvania courthouse includes Mangione backers
A long line formed outside the Pennsylvania courthouse ahead of the initial morning hearings. Some of those gathered were expressing support for Mangione, who has drawn a following online among some people expressing anger at what they view as greedy corporations and health care insurance companies.
Police officers responding to the scene found two discharged shell casings with the words "DENY" and "DEPOSE" written on them. The word "DELAY" was written on a bullet, prosecutors said.
"We feel his anger, his frustration," said Andrea Aye, who said she traveled to the courthouse from northern Ohio. "It has definitely woke people up. We hear him."
Luigi Mangione merchandise: Items raise controversy, claims of glorifying violence
Thompson rose to prominence from rural Iowa
Thompson, 50, was raised on a farm between the small town of Jewell and the even tinier town of Stanhope and graduated from the communities' shared South Hamilton High School in 1993. He departed for the University of Iowa and began working for UnitedHealthcare in 2004. He ascended through the ranks to head the Minneapolis-based health insurance company, one of the largest in the nation, and was named CEO in April 2021.
"He was one of the smartest kids, if not the smartest, and I would say the smartest person I've ever known," childhood friend Taylor Hill said. "He was probably smarter than half our teachers. And the thing with our teachers is they knew it, too."
He had multiple leadership positions at UnitedHealthcare over the years, having last held the title of chief executive officer of government programs, including overseeing the company's Medicare and retirement and community and state businesses.
"Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of United Healthcare, said in a statement.
Prosecutors develop timeline
Prosecutors in New York laid out an extensive timeline starting when Mangione reportedly arrived by bus to New York City on Nov. 24. Prosecutors said he checked in at a hostel on the Upper West using a fake New Jersey ID under the name Mark Rosario.
On Dec. 4, prosecutors allege Mangione left the hostel at 5:34 a.m. and took an e-bike to Midtown. Between 5:52 a.m. and 6:45 a.m., Mangione walked near and around the Hilton Hotel, stopping to buy water and granola bars at the Starbucks, then stood against a wall across from the Hilton, "fully masked with his hood up," prosecutors say.
At 6:45 a.m., Mangione crossed the street to the Hilton Hotel. Armed with a 9-millimeter 3D-printed ghost gun equipped with a silencer, he approached Thompson from behind and shot him once in the back and once in the leg, according to prosecutors.
Mangione then took an e-bike uptown, then a taxi to a bus terminal, and "fled the state," prosecutors said.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona on Dec. 9. Police recovered a 9-millimeter handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, two ammunition magazines, multiple live cartridges, a homemade silencer, and the fake New Jersey ID used at the hostel.
3D-printed guns: How a CEO's murder offers a dark glimpse into the anonymous world of 3D-printed guns
Mangione drew some support online after shooting
Merchandise glorifying Mangione began popping up on the internet within days of the shooting.
Online sellers, looking to cash in on the sympathies that some have expressed for Mangione, have offered T-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, shot glasses, and other items. The effort to turn a profit from the tragedy has drawn criticism.
"Some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a news conference earlier this month.
Amazon told USA TODAY it has pulled merchandise using the phrase for violating company guidelines.
Unusual journey to New York City
Mangione was cast in the public spotlight as he arrived in New York City on Thursday.
The 26-year-old donning a bright orange jumpsuit stepped off a helicopter, where he was met with dozens of heavily armed officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams after beginning the day in Pennsylvania.
The highly publicized escort has garnered mixed reactions on social media and rekindled the debate about staging so-called "perp walks." Experts told USA TODAY that the striking display was likely motivated by authorities attempting to make a statement.
"Obviously, the practice is highly controversial because it can be very prejudicial to see someone walking around with handcuffs behind their back and surrounded by a cadre of police officers, kind of insinuating that this person is already guilty, already highly dangerous," said Jorge Camacho, policy director for the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School, and a clinical lecturer on law.
Following the swarm of internet fanfare after Mangione's arrest, the perp walk may have been a "well-intentioned effort to make him not look like a martyr," said Robert Weisberg, a law professor at Stanford University and faculty co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, adding that it could backfire by highlighting his image in the public sphere even further. Read more here.
— Minnah Arshad
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Jessica Guynn and Kyle Werner; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CEO slaying suspect Luigi Mangione makes federal court appearance