People donated $30K to Luigi Mangione's defense as experts warn donors to be careful

Though Luigi Mangione comes from a wealthy and prominent family, anonymous online donors have chipped in thousands of dollars to fund his legal defense against charges connected to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

One fundraiser on the Christian-based free speech fundraising platform GiveSendGo had raised more than $31,000 as of Wednesday afternoon on the way to a $200,000 goal. The New Jersey-based fund was created by a newly-formed "December 4th Legal Committee," possibly referencing the date of the shooting.

Representatives from GiveSendGo told USA TODAY multiple campaigns have been created for Mangione, including a smaller fundraiser that was unpublished Wednesday.

Mangione's attorney, Thomas Dickey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY, but told CNN Tuesday his client appreciates the support but he "probably wouldn't" accept funds to cover Mangione's legal costs.

Organizers on GiveSendGo said on the fundraiser they've written directly to Mangione in jail to determine how he would like to use the funds. If he rejects them, the money would be donated to "legal funds for other U.S. political prisoners."

Other social media pages have linked to Mangione's jail commissary account soliciting donations for "snacks, sodas, an iPad, etc."

But the group behind the December 4th Legal Committee fundraiser has virtually no online presence and it's not clear how the platform itself, which has been hacked in the past, ensures the money will go where donors think it will, according to Megan Spire, deputy director for data analytics and the OSINT Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"You don't really know who you're even giving money to," Spire said. "It's just, it's all very potentially shady."

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The organizer of the December 4th Legal Committee wrote to USA TODAY late Wednesday that the group is "composed of veteran legal aid volunteers with decades of experience in prison and court support," working to ensure Mangione gets "top-tier legal representation."

“We are dedicated to ensuring that he gets a fair trial with competent legal counsel," wrote Carol Sherman, an organizer with the December 4th Legal Committee.

Controversial defendants and extremists frequently fundraise online

GiveSendGo, which has billed itself as the "#1 free Christian crowdfunding site," became a popular choice for fundraising for controversial figures, including people accused of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and members of the Proud Boys.

Daniel Penny, a former Marine who was found not guilty Monday of criminally negligent homicide in the death of a homeless man in New York City, raised more than $3 million on the platform and Kyle Rittenhouse, who was found not guilty of all charges after shooting three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a protest against police brutality, raked in more than $250,000.

There's been a strong push to get tech companies to stop allowing individuals who promote hate and threaten violence to profit off their platforms, but companies like GiveSendGo have been "extremely resistant" to the calls, Spire said.

The more mainstream fundraising site GoFundMe has removed fundraisers supporting Mangione and refunded donations, a spokesperson for GoFundMe told USA TODAY Wednesday, noting the company's terms of service prohibits fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.

But those rules don't apply on GiveSendGo.

"While other platforms deny individuals the chance to raise funds for a quality legal defense based on their agendas, we believe people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," Heather Wilson, co-founder of GiveSendGo said in a statement after the Penny verdict. "Regardless of media portrayals or public pressure, it’s our responsibility to uphold that right, even for causes we may not personally support. Justice isn’t served when resources are limited to those who fit certain narratives."

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Wilson told USA TODAY crowdfunding helps level the playing field in the criminal justice system by allowing people to secure quality representation and cover court related expenses. "The presumption of innocence and the right to legal representation should not be reserved for the wealthy," she said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family that sent him to prestigious, expensive schools. His late grandfather, Nicholas Mangione Sr., developed real estate and owned country clubs, nursing homes, and a radio station, while his late grandmother, Mary Mangione, was a philanthropist who served as a trustee for the Baltimore Opera Company, on the county tourism board and with groups such as the American Citizens for Italian Matters. His mother owns a funeral home in the area.

Fighting a complex legal battle is expensive, even for someone like Mangione who appears to come from wealth, Rainey Reitman, board president for Freedom of the Press Foundation said.

Reitman said companies have a right to determine what fundraisers they allow and people have a right to use their money to ensure a defendant gets adequate legal representation.

"I would push back against anyone who's trying to tell them to take these fundraisers offline, if it's just because they disagree with what he allegedly did," said Reitman, an author of a forthcoming book on financial companies' terms of service. "This isn't about what he allegedly did. It's about whether or not he can get a strong legal defense, and that something we should all be able to agree on."

While the companies themselves may be motivated by a desire to ensure everyone has access to a robust defense, Spire said what appears to motivating people donating to Mangione's defense is widespread anger at the health care system and a view of the suspect as a political prisoner, which she said mirrors rhetoric from supporters of insurrectionists.

"People can give for whatever reason they want, but it's a little disingenuous to say that this is all about a liberal defense," she said. "The data belies that. When you read the actual comments, it shows that people aren't really thinking about his defense, they're thinking about themselves and their own anger."

Where does the money go?

When a person seeks legal aid, lawyers set up what is called an “Interest on Lawyer Trust Account” where money for legal services can be held separately, Reitman explained. Organizers of online fundraisers often have no direct connection to the people they're fundraising for and donors must trust them to do the leg work to ensure the money is deposited in the correct account.

Wilson told USA TODAY GiveSendGo takes its verification process seriously, but "does not monitor or control how funds are used after disbursement." She said if a recipient were to reject donations, the funds would not be given to them and donations can be refunded or directed to alternative causes with the giver's permission.

"As we remind every giver, It is your responsibility to understand to whom and what you are giving," Wilson said.

Reitman said people looking to donate to Mangione's defense should consider waiting until an official fundraiser is set up by his legal team or a reputable nonprofit.

"It is the case that in some instances, people who are trying to take advantage of the situation might attempt to set up a fundraiser and have no intention of giving that money to the defense," Reitman said. "So I think that's a real concern, and people should have some skepticism about where they're sending their money to."

Contributing: Brenna Smith, Jessica Guynn, Will Carless, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luigi Mangione fundraiser raises $30K for suspected CEO killer