Luigi Mangione, the former Penn graduate accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month, has been charged with multiple federal crimes, including murder, stalking, and weapons offenses. These charges are in addition to the state-level charges in New York and Pennsylvania already filed against him.
During a brief court hearing in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, Judge Katharine Parker read the four federal charges against Mangione, 26, which were unsealed earlier that day. Extradited from Blair County, Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended in an Altoona McDonald’s nearly two weeks ago, Mangione was ordered to remain in custody without bail until his next hearing in mid-January, according to the Associated Press.
Late last week, Mangione had hired a high-profile New York lawyer and dropped his objection to extradition to New York, which he had pursued in his first court appearance in Pennsylvania.
The lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in court that she was surprised by the federal charges, which followed a dramatic public perp walk at a Manhattan helipad.
“I don’t think they even knew this was going to happen,” she said regarding the turn of events. “There are a lot of factors that are very confusing and highly unusual. Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The Incident
Federal prosecutors allege that Mangione traveled to New York City by bus and waited outside a Manhattan hotel where Thompson was attending an investor conference. Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson with an untraceable firearm before fleeing to Pennsylvania. He was traveling between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh by bus when arrested.
Federal Charges
If convicted, Mangione could face the death penalty. The federal charges include:
- Using a firearm to commit murder: Maximum sentence of death or life in prison.
- Interstate stalking resulting in death: Maximum sentence of life in prison.
- Stalking using interstate facilities resulting in death: Maximum sentence of life in prison.
- Discharging a firearm equipped with a silencer during a violent crime: Sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
State Charges
In addition to the federal charges, Mangione was indicted this week by a Manhattan grand jury on 11 state charges. These include murder as an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Mangione also faces charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, five days after the shooting.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described the killing as “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder intended to cause shock, attention, and intimidation.”
New York media had a field day as Mangione made his appearance: